READING 3 - Nice Girls Don’t Ask – Linda Babcock

Question 1

Core Message

Answer 1

This article explores how gender differences in negotiation behavior contribute to persistent inequality in the workplace. Women negotiate less often and less aggressively than men, not due to lack of competence, but because of socialization, internalized norms, and workplace dynamics. These tendencies have serious personal and organizational costs—but they can be addressed through better awareness and management practices.

Question 2

Key Ideas and Concepts

Answer 2

1. The Gender Gap in Negotiation
   - Study 1: Male MBAs from Carnegie Mellon had 7.6% higher starting salaries than female peers because most women didn’t negotiate.
   - Study 2 (Lab experiment): Men asked for more money 9 times more often than women.
   - Study 3 (Survey): Men negotiate more frequently and see more situations as negotiable.
2. Why Women Don’t Ask
   - Socialization: Women are taught to prioritize others’ needs and avoid self-promotion.
   - Expectation bias: Women expect that hard work will be recognized without having to ask.
   - Fear of backlash: Women are often penalized for assertiveness, seen as “pushy” or “bitchy”.
   - Organizational culture often reinforces this by rewarding those who ask—typically men.
3. Consequences for Individuals and Organizations
   - Women receive fewer opportunities, lower pay, and slower promotions.
   - When women quit, managers mistakenly believe they were less committed.
   - Managers give smaller rewards to women because they don’t ask as often—without realizing the gap in requests.
4. What Managers Should Do
   - Mentor women to see the workplace as negotiable.
   - Encourage asking: Normalize and support negotiation behavior.
   - Evaluate performance and reward equally, not based on who asks.
   - Monitor internal biases and language used to describe assertive behavior.
   - Track advancement metrics and reward equitable management.

Question 3

Relation to Unit 4: Perception, Decision-Making, and Individual Differences

Answer 3

• Perceptual Biases: Colleagues and managers interpret similar behaviors differently based on gender (e.g., assertiveness = leadership in men, aggressiveness in women).
• Attribution Theory: Women’s non-assertiveness is wrongly attributed to lack of ambition instead of socialized hesitation.
• Decision-Making: Gender shapes how people frame negotiation scenarios, influencing whether they see situations as negotiable.
• Individual Differences: The article reveals systematic personality and behavioral expectations based on gender norms—though not based on capability.
• Social Learning: Women’s lower negotiation behavior is rooted in learned behaviors from social environments, not inherent traits.