The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win

by Maria Konnikova

Hannah Riley Bowles, a senior lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government who specializes in negotiating while female, has an explanation: in her research, she has found that women, but not men, are penalized for asking for more money in a negotiation. They’re penalized by men—and they’re penalized by other women. Perceived aggression in women is not only not valued; it’s seen in a negative light. In men, on the other hand, it’s viewed as evidence of great potential. If a woman has managed to make it to a leadership position, she will be seen far more negatively than her male counterparts if she acts in a way that’s viewed as authoritative or assertive. If a woman is hired into a workplace, she’s far more likely to be judged on her social skills than her competence; men, meanwhile, continue to be valued for the qualifications that actually got them hired in the first place.