Gender and Persistence in Negotiation: A Dyadic Perspective

Abstract

We studied interactive effects of gender in negotiation dyads, theorizing that the degree and manner of a negotiator’s persistence are functions of the gender composition of the dyad. Our findings challenge sex-stereotypic perspectives, showing that women persist more with male naysayers than with female naysayers but do so in a stereotypically low-status (more indirect than direct) manner. Women’s adaptation of their persistence to naysayer gender appeared functional because increased persistence with male naysayers helped close a gender gap in performance, and female negotiators with high performance adjusted their manner of persistence more than those with low performance.