Using Research to Generate Advice for Women: Examples from Negotiation Research

Abstract

The gender gaps in pay and authority are rooted in social structures and behaviors of both men and women. These gaps will not be closed by “fixing women” to fit into a man’s world. Nonetheless, women want research-based strategies that they can use to overcome the barriers they encounter to fair pay and career advancement. Negotiation is one academic field in which such advice is being generated. The chapter centers on three recommendations for women to enhance their career negotiations. They involve using knowledge about gender stereotypes, reducing sources of ambiguity that heighten the potential for disadvantageous gender effects, and employing negotiating strategies that help women improve their social and material outcomes. The chapter closes with directions for future research to develop more organizationally grounded perspectives on how women from diverse backgrounds negotiate their career paths.