Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to many women about pricing and valuation, both for themselves and their businesses, by teaching two of my popular seminars: Profitable Pricing and Negotiation. The ability to value yourself, coupled with strong negotiation skills, are critical in terms of determining your own value and worth, and the value that others place on you.

Society generally determines value through monetary measures: what you earn in terms of salary if you work within the corporate sphere, or the income generated by your business if you are an entrepreneur. In a recent newsletter, I asked subscribers to answer the question of whether or not there were disparities in the value that society places on work done by women. More than 65% of them agreed that there were indeed disparities. It is not surprising when you look at the difference in income between men and women.

However, I also find that women help perpetrate some of the devaluation that occurs. Does this make me angry? your bet So how do we perpetrate the cycle? Let me give you some examples.

Think about the last time you changed jobs, applied for a promotion, or made an offer for a job you wanted and perhaps desperately needed. When it came time to ask for the salary you wanted or the rate you deserved, what did you do?

Many women I talk to tell me they are guilty of what I call the “psychological” handicap. Instead of asking for what they wanted, they had a conversation with themselves saying why they wouldn’t get what they wanted. The result: they ended up asking for less than they wanted or deserved and, in many cases, less than they could have received. This sends a subtle message that we don’t value ourselves and therefore society doesn’t need to either.

So what can we do to stop this cycle of devaluing the work and value of women in society?

First, take inventory of yourself and determine your unique value proposition. Second, determine the skill sets you need and take the time to practice those skills regularly. Third, help other women by highly appreciating the contributions they make. And finally, remember, believe in your worth and others will too!