Originally found at Forbes

Women’s reluctance to negotiate for higher salaries has long been considered a significant contributor to the gender pay gap. However, new research has revealed a surprising reversal in the gender divide in negotiating, challenging the notion that women are less inclined to ask for what they deserve. The researchers found that women were more likely than men to ask for more compensation, but they still earn less.

Two decades ago, Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever outlined several studies demonstrating women’s reluctance to negotiate in their popular book Women Don’t Ask. For example, survey results from master's degree students entering new jobs indicated that female students were likely to take the first pay offer. In contrast, male students were eight times more likely than their female counterparts to attempt negotiating a higher starting salary.

According to Babcock and Laschever’s calculations, the slight differences men would gain through negotiating could amplify throughout their careers and could ultimately account for a large portion of the gender pay gap.

Continue reading the original article at Forbes.

Read the original research in Academy of Management Discoveries.

Read the Academy of Management Insights summary.

Learn more about the AOM Scholars and explore their work:

• Laura Cray, University of California Berkeley
• Jessica Kennedy, Vanderbilt University