Women and Negotiation

The study on women and negotiation has brought to light the cognitive and behavioral differences based on gender dissonance. Even though women have time and again proved their mettle at the bargaining, they still battle marginalization and are left worse off at the negotiation table. This thesis attempts to investigate into both, the internal (self-perception) and external (cultural & social) perception challenges faced by women while negotiating while examining fundamental differences between the genders and their approach towards similar situations globally.

This thesis also explores social attitudes and perceptions (and stigmas) relating to gender identity and roles, consequent assumptions and inequalities it perpetuates – inequalities that are not only inherently wrong but also ineffectual and fiscally unsound.

With the ever-complex interplay of changing social, cultural, economic and, geo-political landscape, the ability to take a stand and negotiate is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The paper uses narratives and findings of various experts in the field of negotiation and gender dissonance to explore the dramatic difference between men and women in their desire, approach and, propensity to negotiate for what they want and how it impacts women negotiators.

In this paper we will examine the challenges faced by women in corporate world negotiations based on stereotypical gender differences and how they are redefining and challenging the deeply ingrained societal gender assumptions and emerging as successful negotiators on a global level.

“The American Association of University Women is releasing a new study that shows when men and women attend the same kind of college, pick the same major and accept the same kind of job, on average, the woman will still earn 82 cents to every dollar that a man earns” (Coleman, 2012). Pay disparities and lack of women in leadership roles in organizations worldwide reaffirms that this is an issue that has transgressed borders, industries and time.

Negligible Government initiatives, inherent gender biases and expectations come in way of women trying to fight for equal pay and position in top management even when several negotiation researchers have confirmed that the companies perform better during economically turbulent times when they have women on their boards while, public offices that have women in power tend to have more investments made towards public goods, like access to education and clean water (Harvard Kennedy School, 2019).

As per Hegewisch & Hartmann, experimental evidence confirms that people in general still discriminated against women in the workplace, especially more if they were to venture into traditionally male dominated areas of work. The stereotypical assumptions dictate, and almost revel in the fact that men, even when unprepared, get combative, assertive and, take pride in taking risks without being judged as demanding or difficult).

They are anxious regarding the negative consequences they relate with competitive achievement, fearing that competitive success will alienate them from others. While men are fierce, relentless and focused on individual wins, women, instead, are mild, accommodating, and, more likely to seek a win-win outcome seeking to preserve relationships. (2019)

However, the most intriguing and rather shocking reason that surfaced is that women don’t like to negotiate their salaries. As a rule, they almost always accept what is on the table without any question or exploring the scope for a better offer. The hesitation to exploit the deal stems from the innate need to be accepted and liked. Dismal as is the situation, women are acutely aware of the fact that the employers are likely to view their demands, albeit valid and well-deserved, vis a vis the demands of their male counterparts, under unfavorable light. (Corbett & Hill, 2012)

Day ()“The classic male Wharton MBA is negotiating with me on a constant basis,” she said. As for women: “Half of them will never negotiate with me about anything, and the other half [either gets] super, super intense, or apologetic: ‘Oh, I feel so terrible doing this; I hate to negotiate.’” Because the women don’t negotiate very often, she noted, it becomes “a big deal,” as opposed to the men, for whom it feels “normal” because they do it so often. It is imperative to understand that negotiation skills are key to success in every field of work and women will have to be assertive about their goals and interests while negotiating (shonk, 2018).

Men and women negotiate differently due to traditional societal roles and expectations each gender has for itself and of the other. Men tend to be more aggressive, assertive, and tend to negotiate with a winner take all mentality, while woman are more emotional, empathetic, and tend to seek out win-win solutions. While strategies appear to be different and negotiators may have preconceived opinions based on their opponent’s gender. Gender-based competitive differences may be attributable to the different cultural process boys and girls go through (Craver, 2018).

Parents are likely to be more protective of their daughters than their sons. Most boys are exposed to competitive situations at an early age and taught the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” during their formative years, while girls are exposed to indirect competition where one person’s success does not necessarily signify another’s failure (Gail Evans, Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman 80 (2000).

Thus when men and women interact, men are expected to be dominant and authoritative and speak for longer periods of time while women are supposed to be passive and submissive while employing a lot of disclaimers (Tannen, p.53 – 77, 1994). This gender-based factor is counterbalanced by the fact that women continue to be more sensitive to non-verbal signals than their male cohorts. As a consequence, they are more likely to be attuned to the subtle messages conveyed by opponents during bargaining encounters.

Even when minimally prepared, men believe they can “wing it” and get through successfully. On the other hand, no matter how thoroughly prepared women are, they tend to feel unprepared. Men traditionally use distributive bargaining skills with “I Win; You Lose” approach based on opposed interests and focused on short-term results, while women tend to be inclined towards integrative bargaining which works on congruent interests of both parties and is focused on forming long-term relationships.

The principled negotiation technique used by women is focused on their natural strengths like ability to listen and collaborate. “Listening is really important because sometimes you think you know what the other party wants, but when you listen, you really hear what they want. That’s where you get to a position, a resolution, that works for both sides.”

Negotiation in the context of asking for a raise, promotion or bonus can be challenging, but is critical to one’s career development. Day stated that women should push themselves to negotiate regularly and to get comfortable with a bigger ask. Hollywood generated numerous discussions on how – and how well – women negotiate. In her essay, written for the online publication Lenny, Lawrence recalled feeling angry at herself for not negotiating higher pay from studio executives after discovering the salaries of her male costars – a result of the Sony email leak in 2014. “I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early,” she wrote. “It makes me nuts when I hear someone like a female Wharton MBA say they are not good at negotiation…. Well, you don’t have to really be that good; you just have to do it.”–Beth Ann Day

Day and Gilliam said that practicing negotiation in small ways, in everyday life, builds both experience and confidence. They said this could be anything from returning a pair of jeans after the 30-day return period has expired, to trying to get a better hotel room when traveling. The data shows that even a small, incremental difference in salary such as $5,000 can translate into a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a woman’s career. If you don’t ask, you don’t get, she pointed out. Gilliam

Conclusion

In negotiation—anything from salary to noisy neighbors to barking dogs—women don’t need intimidation and lies (usually, but that’s another post). We naturally seek affinity and common ground. We are more concerned with relationship and mutual best interest than we are intimidation and for this reason we are much more naturally disposed than men to produce collaborative, durable agreements—meaning our agreements last, and don’t induce lingering resentment. We are good at this.

The only thing we lack is confidence and a bit of study in the exquisite tools and strategies of interest-based (win-win) negotiation. Once we get this down, we transform everything. When Linda Babcock asked why so many male graduate students were teaching their own courses and most female students were assigned as assistants, her dean said: “More men ask. The women just don’t ask.” It turns out that whether they want higher salaries or more help at home, women often find it hard to ask. reframe their interactions and more accurately evaluate their opportunities.

In business, women have unique skills of offer, according to study.Forget the men, in business negotiations women may be more skilled than their masculine counterparts according to a new study by an Israeli researcher. “Women are more generous negotiators, better co-operators and are motivated to create win-win situations,” says Itzhaki. During the course of her research, Itzhaki discovered that while women in mid-management positions are often held back from promotion for being too “cooperative’ and ‘compassionate’, men have begun to recognize the skills of their female colleagues and are now incorporating feminine strategies into their negotiating styles.

“Distributive negotiation usually involves a single issue which one person gains at the expense of another i.e. win/lose strategy, and Integrative negotiation usually happens where an agreement can be found that is better for both parties than what they would have reached through distributive negotiations i.e. win/win strategy” (Kinicki & Fugate, 2015) . “The men come in and use the same tactics women are criticized for,” she said. These are especially desirable traits in today’s business world, which is calling for service improvements for customers and clients. Women today are earning more top positions in banking because of this trend, says Itzhaki.

As a twenty year old woman studying at the College of Business at Colorado State University, the subject of Equal Work Equal Pay is especially interesting to me and my future. Entering the work force in approximately two years, it gives me hope for a possible breakthrough solution to this problem.

As an educated woman, I wish to be treated equally on all fronts when I start my career. During my research, what I thought was going to come out as a cut and dried solution, actually resulted in a mere, there’s no right answer, yet. Obviously this form of discrimination is severely unjust and unacceptable, yet at this point in our modern-day society almost unavoidable.

Hearing about this issue through the grape-vine, at school, at home, and on the news, it’s a dull buzz with no real solution being put to the test. There are amendments and laws supporting equal pay, yet results from my research show that the gender wage gap persists. (Coleman). The claim I make is more of a hope, a hope for us women to keep on proving the decade old stereotypes to be false; to accomplish just as much if not more than men.

To continue striving for the best for ourselves, as well as stick to our feminine nature that makes us so special and unique to society. To raise men to appreciate the value of women; to expect nothing but intelligence, heart, compassion and hard work coming from the female gender. Time is the only answer right now and time will also show the results of hard work, to be equal one must demand equality. What I hope to find or interpret through experience and research are ways to make equality in the workplace abundant. Why must there be a barrier of gender when each company has a common goal, common objectives, and common reciprocating duties

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