Negotiations

Given the fact that there are differing salaries, some argue that it is not because of gender it is because of the attitude of the employee and their inclination to negotiate their salaries.  Now even though we know that there IS indeed a gender pay gap this claim is logical in the sense that most women wouldn’t think to negotiate their salaries where as men grow up demanding the best and most, and women have the inclination to make sacrifices.

During my research I came across a study done and published in “The Psychology of Women Quarterly” written by Hannah Bowles from Harvard University and Linda Babcock from Carnegie Mellon University. The article was a study on the effectiveness of negotiations in the workplace and separate methods in this negotiation process.  Part of the study was the social consequences on women for negotiating pay with employers and the best way or method to get around these consequences.  Results showed that the best way to negotiate pay was by relational accounts.  The common belief though various cultures around the globe and centuries old is that the man is dominant and governing in the relationship between a man and a woman.  This belief was imbedded into careers when women entered the work force and is now a constant battle to get men to look at women equally instead of demeaning and less valuable.  The thought process behind these relational accounts when negotiating pay is actually completely ironic.  It means when women adhere to their typical stereotypes, nurturing, compassionate, a team player, etc. and shows this through conversation of higher pay making it more about others than just themselves–they have better results socially and fiscally in the workplace. Directly from the article, “results showed that, although adherence to the feminine stereotype is insufficient, using these ‘‘relational accounts’’ can improve women’s social and negotiation outcomes at the same time”.  (For more information on the article look under the Literature Review Page).

So for a temporary and possible solution to you women out there looking for a way to improve your salaries, this could be it! Although personally I don’t agree with adhering to stereotypes especially in this sense, if I were a victim of the gender pay gap I would definitely test these methods out, I mean hey if you never try you will never know, and if you can use yourself to your advantage, why not? Right ladies?