Challenging 20 Years of Views on Female Negotiation Skills

For decades, the workplace has viewed women as less assertive negotiators than men — and research proved this true, suggesting that gender differences in approach to asking for that raise could explain the gender pay gap. However, academics have not explored the topic in earnest since 2003.

Until now.

Published in August 2023 by the Academy of Management, new, groundbreaking research by Vanderbilt University and the University of California Berkeley challenges the widely accepted understanding that “women don’t negotiate” (Kray, Kennedy, & Lee, 2023). Through a series of studies involving working professionals, MBA students, and graduates, the researchers uncovered some surprising results.

The first emerged from a study showing that women are no longer shying away from negotiations; in fact, they are negotiating their salaries more frequently than men. The second surprise surfaced during subsequent studies that reviewed historical research and trends. This review unveiled that men and women have increased the frequency of negotiations over time. However, women outpaced men in the degree of this increase, ultimately allowing them to surpass men in their negotiation frequency.

So what do these findings mean? There are two primary implications:

First, we can no longer attribute gender pay disparities solely to women’s behavior. This new evidence highlights that women are actively advocating for themselves and their worth in the workplace.

Second, this research prompts us to delve into the multifaceted factors contributing to pay inequities. Despite women advocating for themselves, the gender pay gap endures. This warrants closer examination and suggests deeper complexities beyond the negotiating table.

As we move forward, it is important to acknowledge the evolving trends in how women approach negotiations. It is no longer a matter of whether women ask, but rather how we can collectively ensure that their voices are heard and their contributions are valued. Let’s work together to break down the remaining barriers, address the deeper complexities of pay inequities, and build a workplace where pay equity is not an aspiration but rather a reality.

Sources

Babcock, L., & Laschevar, S., (2003). Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide. Princeton University Press. Retrieved at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7rh37

Kray, L., Kennedy, J., and Lee, M. (2023). Now, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay Gap. Academy of Management. Retrieved at https://journals.aom.org/doi/epdf/10.5465/amd.2022.0021