People prefer to negotiate with women, even when outcomes are identical and gender is unknown

What is it about?

In a series of studies with over 2,000 participants, we find that people consistently report better subjective outcomes, such as trust, rapport, and willingness to negotiate again, when negotiating with women. This preference persists even in anonymous negotiations where gender is unknown and cannot be inferred from behavior, as well as in conditions where negotiation partner gender is randomly assigned. Importantly, we find no gender difference in economic outcomes. To understand why, we analyzed transcripts of real negotiations for any behavioral differences. These findings reveal an overlooked gender dynamic: while men and women achieve similar economic results, women foster stronger interpersonal relationships, which in turn lead to greater satisfaction and greater desire for future negotiations with women.

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Photo by Radission US on Unsplash

Photo by Radission US on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Women are liked more than men by their negotiation partners. This greater likability increases partner satisfaction and the desire for future negotiations with women, even when negotiations are anonymous. Importantly, women achieve economic outcomes on par with men, suggesting that these relational advantages do not come at a performance cost. Instead, they may create additional opportunities to negotiate that compound into long-term economic gains.

Perspectives