Indirect approach more successful for women while negotiating higher salaries
Women can successfully negotiate higher salaries, but unlike men, they have to pay attention to the approach they use in order to avoid social backlash, according to a new study.
Previous studies have shown that women are less likely to take the most direct approach to ensure that they receive fair pay compared to their male counterparts – simply asking.
"The anticipation of social backlash or pay discrimination is taxing for women and undermining of their human potential," stated the study authors Hannah Riley Bowles and Linda Babcock.
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In part one of their study, Bowles and Babcock surveyed 402 participants who were asked to watch a video in which a recently-promoted female employee negotiated her new salary. In some of the videos, she expressed a concern for her relationship with her manager, for example by including phrases such as "I hope it''s OK to ask you about this" and "My relationships with people here are very important to me," in others she negotiated her salary while alluding to another offer she had received, while in others, she did both.
The survey participants were then asked to answer a series of questions about whether they would enjoy working with the woman and whether or not they would grant her the salary she desired.
After analyzing survey results, the researchers found that alluding to another offer increased the likelihood that the women would get the pay desired and that showing concern for business relationships helped
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