When the causes of the gender pay gap are discussed, one of the most frustratingly enduring ones is that women either don’t negotiate at all, or they do so inadequately. This myth has been debunked by recent research from Vanderbilt University.
“Our research shows that women are willing to do their part to close the gender pay gap. Unfortunately, negotiating well isn’t enough to close the gender pay gap. It’s not the source of the problem,” the researchers explain.
What women do
The researchers quizzed a nationally representative sample and found that the myth that men negotiate their salaries more than women is prevalent. Indeed, the sample thought 64% of men would negotiate versus just 47% of women. They then compared these perceptions with actual data.
“It was interesting and refreshing to see the nuance in people’s beliefs about gender. People believed women were negotiating less often than men, but they also believed women faced discrimination too,” the researchers explain. “People thought women were less likely to get what they asked for, recognizing asking as an imperfect solution.”
The research looked at data from students and graduates of a top U.S. business school. They found that women actually negotiate job offers more often than men, which goes against the idea that women don’t ask for better deals.
In the first study, more women (54%) said they negotiated job offers compared to men (44%). In the second study, which involved nearly 2,000 alumni, women and men both tried to negotiate for promotions or better pay, with more women (64%) making these attempts. This contradicts the belief that women are less likely to ask for what they want. The study also showed that when people tried to negotiate, they generally got better pay.
To make sure these findings were consistent, researchers looked at data from different groups of people collected between 1982 and 2015. In this larger study, they didn’t find any evidence that men and women negotiated salaries at different rates. Over time, the difference between men and women negotiating has become smaller. This suggests that the idea that women don’t negotiate as much as men may no longer be true and could even be changing in some cases.
Why outdated beliefs matter
Two more studies looked at what happens when people use the idea that women don’t negotiate as a reason for the gender pay gap.
In Study 3, researchers asked people what they thought caused the pay gap between men and women. Some people said it’s because women are not as good at negotiating as men. Others said it’s because women make different choices in their careers. And some said it’s just not fair.
Those who believed the pay gap was mainly due to women not being good negotiators were less likely to support laws that stop employers from asking about a job applicant’s salary history. They also were more likely to think that our society rewards people based on their abilities. This suggests that people who think women don’t negotiate as much are less likely to support rules that aim to make pay more equal.
In Study 4, the researchers looked at how thinking that “women don’t ask” affects other ideas about men and women. They showed some people a message that said “women don’t ask” and others a message about how important negotiation is. The “women don’t ask” message made people more likely to believe in gender stereotypes, like women being nurturing and men being competitive. It also made people think that the pay gap is mainly because of the choices women make in their jobs.
“Men and women have actually become more similar over time, as their roles have converged, so viewing them as very different is a problem,” the authors conclude.
