( CNN ) I could n't quite believe my eyes when I read the initial comments from Microsoft 's CEO on how women who do n't ask for raises will receive `` good karma . '' What ? Is this 2014 or 1954 ? The CEO , Satya Nadella , has since tried to clarify his comments , which were ironically made at a conference in Phoenix celebrating women in computing . Nadella took to Twitter to say he was `` inarticulate '' on the topic of how women should ask for a raise . At the conference , he appeared to be saying that women who have faith that things will work out ( and who do n't speak up ) will see pay increases in the long term during their careers . In his Twitter mea culpa , there was no talk of faith or karma . Nadella said the tech industry needs to close the gender pay gap `` so a raise is not needed because of a bias . '' There are so many reasons why Nadella 's initial comments are so worrisome . I 've tried to boil down my anger and the outrage of other women on social media to five : . 1 . Other men think this way : First , it 's clear that Nadella believes that women should trust that things will work out in the long run , or he would never have said it . The question is how many other male chief executives feel the same way . I 'm guessing there are some . And if they do feel this way , how motivated are they to close the gender pay gap ? Do they feel like Nadella implied that income differences will work out in the end ? Women make 78 cents for every dollar our male colleagues make . For several years , the number has been 77 cents to every dollar a man earns . I 'm not sure `` karma '' is going to bring that gap to zero . 2 . Women are already afraid to ask : I remember a story I worked on while I was at the women 's website iVillage.com . We asked women how often they asked for a raise , and their responses were shocking . Only 35 % of the 1,500 women surveyed said they ever asked for a raise . Fewer than one in five said they ever asked for a promotion , according to the survey . Most women are already reluctant to speak up when it comes to getting more money for their work . Comments like the ones from the Microsoft CEO are n't likely to increase their confidence to go for it . Emma Watson gives feminism new life . 3 . We need more female chief executives : I 'm not really into betting , but this is a wager I feel very confident I 'd win . Would a female chief executive officer have ever suggested that women should trust the system and trust that they 'll receive `` good karma '' if they do n't ask for raises ? Absolutely not . I do n't think any woman , especially one who has gone on to head a Fortune 500 company , would say she ever trusted the system to get where she is . She most likely had to take on the system and speak up for herself over and over again throughout her career . So Nadella 's big-time gender gaffe points to why we need more women in the C-suite . Sadly , as we reported last year , there has been no significant difference in the number of women in executive positions for four years in a row . 4 . We need more women in tech : We already knew we have too few women in the tech industry , but the Microsoft chief 's gaffe is another reminder . You have to wonder if he 'd ever make such comments or believe them if he were surrounded by more women . According to CNN Money , Microsoft 's work force is 71 % male , but the male-female breakdown gets even worse when you focus on technical and leadership roles . Eighty-three percent of those positions are male , according to CNN Money , which reports that the figures are roughly in line with the male-female breakdown at Google , Facebook , Yahoo and Apple . The issue is not just one of diversity but what impacts the bottom line . The research shows that there is a positive correlation between diversity on boards and in the C-suite and a company 's financial performance . 5 . What message are we sending our girls ? : There 's been so much discussion in the past year or two about how we need to get our girls to lean in , how we need to ban the the word `` bossy , '' how we need to have them stop apologizing and feel good and confident about who they are . And then we have a chief executive officer of one of the country 's top tech companies sending a message that could easily be translated into encouraging our girls to be good and not ruffle anyone 's feathers , and that that 's how they 'll get what they want . We women know that 's not how the world works . Girl 's letter to sports retailer calls out gender imbalance in catalog . So I 'm thinking we might need to create a new campaign , taking a page from the fabulously successful `` Run Like a Girl '' ad by Always , which called attention to how the term `` run like a girl '' became a negative when it should be a source of strength . How about a campaign titled `` Make a Gaffe Like a Man '' ? There are way too many men who could be included , but we 'd give the starring role to the Microsoft chief at the moment . What do you think about the Microsoft CEO 's initial comments that women should n't ask for a raise ? Tell Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook .
Microsoft CEO said women who do n't ask for a raise will receive ` ` good karma '' Satya Prakash made the comments at a conference celebrating women in computing . Nadella said on Twitter that he was ` ` inarticulate '' and that the gender gap needs to be closed . Women earn 78 cents for every dollar a man makes , according to the latest numbers .