Why is it still taboo to reveal our income? Some people will brag about it. Most people complain about it. But hardly anyone will come right out and tell you how much money they make even if you are brave enough to ask.

We have always been a judgmental society but it seems as though in the past 5-10 years, we have reached a new low. On a daily basis, a person is judged on their appearance, their age, their weight, their intelligence level, what they have and what they don’t have. It is a never-ending jungle of comparisons as to how we measure up against each other.

Our income is a direct reflection of how well we are doing in our job or career. If we are doing well, all details are happily revealed. If we have been passed over for a promotion or we find out that a fellow employee is making more money than we are, even though we have been with the company for a longer time, our self confidence hits bottom.

You can admire a woman’s dress and she will quickly divulge that she got it on sale and the cost of the dress is practically sung out with the pride that comes from getting a good deal. Men will talk about their vehicles boasting about all of the extras that were thrown in after they haggled over the price, which always seems to be less than you bought yours for. But when it comes down to income we seem to be a little more attached at the ego.

Every year, Parade, the magazine that comes in the Sunday newspaper, features a cover story based entirely on people’s income from talk show host Oprah Winfrey to the librarian in Nebraska, from a mechanic in Oregon to director Steven Spielberg. All types of jobs from cities across the United States are showcased. People seem to be happy to disclose their age, occupation and income to a national publication for the world to see, but upfront and personal seems to still make some uncomfortable.

While working hard at your job usually pays off in commensurate compensation, you can always check your income privately through a number of websites www.salary.com for one. You just plug in your occupation and location and you can find out what the going rate is for your position in your area.

As long as we continue to judge people instantly as a success or failure based on what they are earning, asking someone outright what their income is will remain taboo. You will just have to wait for the yearly Parade article to come out to see how you stack up.