Younger women are using TikTok to promote pay transparency. JessicaRosales, for example, is a medical facility cleaner in Michigan and an active content creator on TikTok. Rosales shares detailed breakdowns of her paycheck allocation and shares her “payday routine.”

Older workers may be clutching their pearls, says The Washington Post, having grown up in a generation that considers money talk taboo. But younger generations have grown used to being candid about the intricacies of their lives online, which includes money earned and spent. Another personal finance creator, Kristy Nguyen, said “We feel like if we’re more open and vulnerable about it, it can make a difference for other people.”

The movement is thriving. Andrea Johnson, state policy and strategy director at the National Women’s Law Center, called it part of a “quickly evolving pay transparency revolution” taking place on an institutional level. Companies in the US are now required to indicate a salary range in their job postings in an attempt to allow fair negotiation from workers. “Gen Z is saying, ‘This is what we expect. We’re not even going to apply to your job if you don’t list it,’” Johnson added.

Pay transparency is leveling out the playing field. According to the Bureau of LaborStatistics, in 2023, female employees earned 83.6% of what a male employee in a similar position earned. It’s only through radical pay transparency that those being affected by these discrepancies — mostly young women — can become aware of it. Afterwards, they turn to these TikTok and money handling creators for financial advice.

But can the culture of pay secrecy be overcome? People are still reluctant to talk numbers, but many believe that forcing ourselves out of the discomfort is for the greater good. Not so that employees can negotiate for equitable wages and negotiate their salaries, but for new entrants to the workforce to find it easier to set financial plans.

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