Implementation Gaps: How Do Women Appraise Strategies That Could Ameliorate Gender Differences in Negotiation?

Women often have less success in negotiations than men. Therefore, research has suggested strategies that could be effective in supporting women’s success. However, it is unknown whether women would be willing to use these strategies. Thus, we examined women’s willingness to use the suggested strategies and analyzed the reasons behind their strategic choices. In a scenario design, we examined how women appraise three strategies (a relational account, feminine charm, confrontation with gender stereotypes) and three conventional negotiation behaviors (assertiveness, yielding, neutral behavior). The results showed that the strategies were not preferred over assertiveness and yielding; in part, women were even less inclined to use them. Moreover, women expected all strategies to be less economically effective than assertiveness, but at the same time more socially risky than yielding. As women were disinclined to use the strategies, our research identified a new barrier to achieving gender equality in negotiations—an implementation gap.