Women who ask for raises tend to be disliked, while men may 'get a pass on swagger,' law prof says
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One theory offered to explain why women make less money than men is that women don’t ask for raises.
But University of California at Hastings law professor Joan Williams suggests wage inequality has another component, the New York Times Op-Talk blog reports.
Research has found “that women who do ask for raises tend to be disliked, and often end up making lower starting salaries,” Williams told Op-Talk.
The blog sought comment from Williams in its report about a study by salary information firm PayScale, which found that women with an MBA appeared to struggle most with potential gender bias when asking for a raise.
Of those who asked for a raise, only 48 percent of female MBA grads received the requested amount compared to 63 percent of male MBA grads, according to a PayScale press release. And, 21 percent of female MBA grads received no raise at all after requesting one, compared to 10 percent of male MBA grads.
Williams, who is founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the UC Hastings law school, says stereotypes hold that women are supposed to be modest and self-effacing, and they aren’t thought of as family breadwinners. Men who ask for a raise, on the other hand, are viewed as providing for their families.
“So it may seem selfless for a man to negotiate for a raise because after all he has to support his family, whereas a woman, she’s just a prima donna on an ego trip,” Williams said in explaining the gap. Stereotypes can also harm minorities seeking a raise, she said.
“To the extent that white men kind of get a pass on swagger,” Williams said, “that’s denied to other people.”
