Who's responsible for putting an end to the gender pay gap?

Can the C-Suite alone fix the gender pay gap within their organization, or do they need governmental mandates to make them pay equitably?

The answer could depend on the leader’s own gender, according to a Waterman Hurst survey of “gatekeepers” — CEOs, board members, other C-level leaders, as well as talent leaders, private equity partners and executive search partners, all of whom belong to a virtual community set up by Waterman Hurst.

The majority of men leaders polled disagree with the majority of women leaders: 73 percent of male gatekeepers say management alone should fix the gap, while 27 percent of those respondents believe management needs a push from government.

In contrast, 66 percent of female gatekeepers believe management needs a push from government and just 34 percent of top women leaders say management alone should fix the gap.

Here are some comments from both genders about the issue:

– Bonnie Gwin, vice chairman and co-managing partner at Heidrick & Struggles: “I think great leaders understand that pay equity is a real concern and has a grave impact on a company. Leaders should be held accountable for ensuring that the playing field is level and that pay is equal. This is an important issue that should be handled directly by top management to resolve swiftly.”

– Dave Winston, managing partner at Caldwell Partners: “You can’t legislate judgment; this is a leadership issue. Period.”

– Byron Clendenen, vice president of human resources at Singulex: “While indeed, management SHOULD fix, that potential means for resolution hasn’t been uniformly achieved. While I’m generally not of a governmental interventionist mindset, I do believe that is the solution to this.”

– Donna Morea, SAIC chair and a SunTrust board member: “As an advocate for the free market, I generally hate legislated solutions. But statistics are still so significantly skewed and progress is uneven at best. I now believe a law may be the only way to systematically make up the difference in pay between men and women. The disappointing reality is that constitutional support may be the only way to ensure a system that is based on individual merit and not on gender.”

Some of the respondents offered compromises. “It should be something that shareholders and customers demand of the business,” writes an anonymous female gatekeeper.

Another gatekeeper, Nigel Hurst, executive vice president of human resources at HEI Hotels and Resorts, writes that U.S. companies should “implement what has been widely accepted in the U.K., a less aggressive regulation that creates peer pressure.”

While the respondents differ on how to fix the gender pay gap, virtually all (96 percent) say the gap is real and must be fixed.

“Every leader needs to be progressive and proactive and make sure that there is pay parity on their team,” writes Lonnie Shoff, president of Thermo Fisher Scientific. “We all need to fight bias. Once you get into a leadership position, you have the power to make a difference.”

Then Shoff adds: “Given we have been aware of the pay gap for more than 50 years and it still exists, it is clear that some leaders need a law or regulations to make pay equity a priority.”

Read more: 

• Gender pay gap stems from lack of access to high-paying jobs
• Here’s how you can proactively address gender pay inequity
• Employees welcome pay gap disclosures, as long as it doesn’t affect them