NOW, WOMEN DO ASK: A CALL TO UPDATE BELIEFS ABOUT THE GENDER PAY GAP

Abstract

For over two decades, gender differences in the propensity to negotiate have been thought to explain the gender pay gap. We ask whether a “women don’t ask” pattern holds today among working adults. We compare estimates of gender differences in negotiation propensity (Study 1) with actual patterns from master’s in business administration students (n 5 1,435) and alumni (n 5 1,939) from a top U.S. business school (Studies 2A and 2B). Contrary to lay beliefs, women report negotiating their salaries more (not less) often than men. We then reanalyze meta-analytic data on self-reported initiation of salary negotiations to reconcile our findings with prior work (Study 2C). While men reported higher negotiation propensity than women prior to the 21st century, the gender difference has grown neutral and then reversed since then. Negotiation propensity rose across time for both men and women, although to differing degrees. Finally, we explore the consequences of the now-outdated belief that “women don’t ask,” finding that it increases gender stereotyping, even on dimensions unrelated to negotiation, and it is associated with both greater system justification and weaker support for legislation addressing pay equity (Studies 3 and 4). Our research calls for an updating of beliefs about gender and the propensity to negotiate for pay.