SABA 2023 Innovative Student Research in DEI: Hanna Vance

Hanna Vance, MA, BCBA is a doctoral student currently studying behavior analysis at the University of Kansas and is transitioning to the University of Florida in fall 2023. Broadly, her research interests have explored employee performance measures as well as behavior-analytic applications to social responsibility topics (i.e., gender, equity, pay practices). Her current research interests continue to include diverse applications of the science across individual, organizational, and community levels. SABA’s Innovative Student Research Grant in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will support Hanna’s current project which seeks to equip women-identifying behavior analysts with skills and resources to negotiate aspects of an initial job offer (e.g., salary, personal days, remote work options). This interest stems from recent research in the field indicating pay inequities exist to varying degrees for groups of behavior analysts (i.e., women faculty, women minority practitioners, and practitioners working in rural locations; Baires et al., 2023; Li et al., 2019; Vance et al., 2023). Experiencing pay inequities early in one’s career can have negative individual level impacts such as fewer retirement savings (American Association of University Women, 2018), as well as organizational level impacts such as less social cohesion, and more social conflict in the workplace (Breza et al., 2018). It is unfortunate that only a small percentage of women challenge or negotiate initial salary offers (Babcock & Laschevar, 2003), and women overall have lower salary expectations when starting new jobs and often feel they lack the skills or tools to effectively negotiate (Gray et al., 2019). Hanna is hopeful that her research in this area can reduce some of the barriers that exist and empower women to advocate for themselves. Hanna is thrilled to be collaborating with her advisors, Drs DiGennaro Reed and Jimenez-Gomez, on this research. Hanna is honored to receive this grant and is excited to share results of this study at professional conferences next year.