1. How To Reduce Women’s Negotiation Disadvantage: Hints From Research
Alice Eagly
Northwestern University
APS, May 2016

2. Women Fare Worse in Bargaining With Economic Outcomes
Mazei, Huffmeier, Freund, Stuhlmacher, Bilke, & Hertel (Psychological Bulletin, 2014)
g = 0.20 in male direction
Used role congruity theory (Eagly & Karau, 2003) to make sense of moderation in findings
Agentic behaviors essential to negotiation are not congruent with the female gender role: assertive, competitive, profit-oriented
Women display fewer of these behaviors
Others regard such behaviors less appropriate in women: May elicit backlash

3. Outcomes Are Variable
Role incongruity for women decreases if the setting becomes less incongruent
Negotiate on behalf of someone else: toughness becomes other-oriented
Make situation less ambiguous: reduces salience of gender norms in favor of situational norms
Learning about bargaining range
Gain experience: know appropriate behavior, gain a script. Women less likely to fall back on gender norms.

4. How Use This Knowledge? Usually don’t bargain for someone else
Sometimes do: Personnel committees; Tenure & promotion committees
Salary negotiation: Can reduce ambiguity by gaining information, “asking around” about salaries & conditions offered to others
Experience: Yes, practice is possible.
Role playing: Can we help one another?
Bargain for a job that perhaps won’t take?

5. Bargaining Can Be Everyday Occurrence
Bargain for salary & conditions at outset; Bargain for counteroffer
Bargain for teaching load & conditions (TA support)
Bargain on service obligations
Bargain on authorship on papers
If women are nicer, less assertive and competitive ay end up with conditions that do not enhance career as a researcher
In general, women spend more hours teaching than men and fewer in research
Is bargaining part of the reason?