For years, the prevailing assumption has been that the gender pay gap is largely driven by women's hesitancy to negotiate their salaries. However, groundbreaking research has emerged, turning this notion on its head. A recent study from the Academy of Management challenges the widely held belief that women are less likely to negotiate for higher pay, shedding light on the real dynamics behind the gender pay gap.

The "women don't ask" myth

The paper delves into the long-standing assumption that women's reluctance to negotiate contributes to the gender pay disparity. For more than two decades, this "women don't ask" hypothesis has been accepted as a key factor in explaining the pay gap between men and women in the workforce. 

This line of thinking suggests that women are less likely to initiate salary negotiations and, if they do, are less assertive, ultimately leading to lower compensation compared with their male counterparts.