Activists say J.P. Morgan and Bank of America Have a Big Gender Gap Problem

A JPMorgan Chase & Co. Bank Branch Ahead Of Earnings Figures
JPMorgan Chase & Co. signage is displayed outside the company's Park Avenue office building in New York, U.S., on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is scheduled to release earnings figures on October 14. Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Call it too big to pay fair.

A group of investors are targeting the nation’s largest banks, pushing for a break up of Wall Street’s boy’s club. Pax World Management, Arjuna Capital, and Trillium Asset Management are asking several financial giants including Goldman Sachs (GS), Citigroup (C), Bank of America (BAC), and Wells Fargo (WFC) to disclose their pay data for men and women, Bloomberg reported.

The investors, who have made headway on pay disparity with tech giants including Amazon and Apple, are trying to do the same in the finance sector.

“Given the financial benefits of diverse leadership teams, the female talent gap is simply bad for business,” Natasha Lamb, Arjuna Capital’s director of equity research and shareholder engagement, told Bloomberg in an email.

Already, Arjuna Capital has filed proposals with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, American Express, and Citigroup. The trio plans to do the same at J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM) on Tuesday.

 

Earlier, the group managed to get Amazon and Apple to disclose their gender pay gaps.

Wall street has long been criticized for being a “boy’s club.” The industry is largely dominated by men, with only 10% of U.S. fund managers being women, according to a Morningstar report. A separate 2016 Glassdoor study estimates that men are paid 6.4% more than women in the financial industry, and 7.2% more in the insurance industry.

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