I came across a supposedly real anecdote from an employee of “large multinational tech company” who is responsible for hiring new staff. The author shares his take on why women regularly are hired for 65% – 75% of what men make: they don’t negotiate as often or as forcefully. He also reveals a little about the dynamics between HR (human resources) policy and management responsible for hiring. Who knows if its true or not, but I thought it was interesting in light of our discussion during last class.
But even if it’s not a true story, the point the author makes has some validity. Linda Babcock (Ph.D, Professor at CMU) and Sara Laschever (M.A., widely published journalist) have written several books on this very topic. Their latest is Women Don’t Ask. In it, the authors “explore the personal and societal reasons women seldom ask for what they need, want, and deserve at home and at work–and shows how they can develop this crucial skill.” According to their research, men ask for what they want twice as often and initiate negotiation four times more often than women do. See more interesting statistics they’ve found here.
Check out the book’s website to learn more about the authors, read a Q&A, or some interesting quotes.
Will this change as your generation takes the reigns?
f Christopher
