Workplace Negotiations Research Report Request

Thank you for your interest in the Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business (CWB) curated research report Workplace Negotiations, Gender, and Intersectionality!  Download the full report.

Executive Summary

This report provides an overview of recent and relevant research and media coverage related to gender and intersectionality on workplace negotiations, and it offers recommendations for negotiators on both sides of the table.

The Research

We begin with a look at the most prominent studies. The dominant research questions are whether women attempt to negotiate as much as men and, when they do, whether they are as successful. The role of unconscious bias is explored, along with a variety of other factors.

While the resulting data is sometimes contradictory, the body of research and literature demonstrates that bias often significantly impacts the negotiating experiences of women and other underrepresented groups. It is this core issue that organizations and individuals must address.

Intersectional Impacts

The report examines the impact of intersectionality — how women’s unique identities might interact to impact their experience. 

• Black and Latina women, despite ambitious career goals, are less successful than white women when negotiating for pay and promotion.
• Asian women are expected to be modest and deferential, and when they defy these expectations they are often penalized. 
• Women with disabilities face significant challenges, including reduced workplace status, lower earnings, and structural barriers.
• Age also impacts negotiations. Younger women seem to be increasingly willing to negotiate for pay at rates equal to men. However, in most settings this younger cohort is still less successful than men.

Negotiations and the Wage Gap in Tech

The report explores the experiences of women in tech, highlighting the state of the wage gap, policies about negotiating, and wage transparency.

• Salary sharing can be an important tool in narrowing the wage gap and improving negotiating situations and outcomes for women and all people from underrepresented groups; indeed, pay secrecy can reinforce racial biases.
• Non-negotiation policies offer a unique approach to minimize bias and narrow the wage gap. They are controversial, with proponents arguing that eliminating negotiations strengthens the employer-employee relationship and opponents asserting that bans reinforce the stereotype that women are poor negotiators.

Recommendations, Strategies, and Resources

Throughout the report, we provide remedies, strategies, and resources for individuals and organizations. The final section provides negotiation strategies for women and recommendations on how workplaces can de-bias negotiations. The appendices of the report include a glossary of terms and workplace negotiation resources.