Alyssa Goodwin

SEE 3850

Week 7 Graded Element: Negotiation Strategies for Women

Online

April 30, 2021

 There has always been stereotypes surrounding women and men especially in regard to

salaries and how each one should behave in certain situations. There were many different issues

in the articles we read, and all were very important to analyze. Narrowing it down I would say

my top 4 issues pertaining to gender differences in negotiation would be women are assumed to

seek a win-win situation where men are more win-lose, Women should value humans where men

are socialized to be more aggressive, gender triggers, and Women are supposed to act like ladies.

The first issue I will discuss is how women are assumed to seek a win-win situation and

men are more a win-lose situation. According to the article this is explained by the stereotype

that women are more accommodating than men and want to preserve the overall relationship of

the other party. Where men are more perceived to solidify deals when negotiating. This is an

issue because it establishes a gender-based competitive difference that does not necessarily exist.

I think this is important to understand and look into because it can give us insight on what people

in society will expect when entering a negotiation with either a women or man. Will they assume

the women to be a push over and both get what they want? Does that mean that men no matter

what will never lose? These are important questions to look at regarding this issue when

negotiating.

The second issue is that women should value humans where men are socialized to be

more aggressive. This is an issue because it really questions the authority that maybe women will

not establish that and be more of a push over and that men are going to come in establish that
authority right away. This is important to the negotiation process because women never want to

be known as overly empathetic because it could prevent her from reaching a negotiation that

benefits her. I also think it is important that men are not seen as the only aggressor because I

have seen many women strong and aggressive in the negotiation process and obtain what they

came into the negotiation wanting.

The third issue is gender triggers and how they can prove a societal expectation of

someone and that is not what we want when coming to the table to negotiate. When reading it

stated that competitive negotiations act as gender triggers because it can be consistent with men

are more likely than women to be competitive and succeed in competitive environments. This is

important to look at and determine how to go about changing this. If women are looked at less

competitive and not going after for example salary negotiations it could continue to show that

they will just settle.

Lastly, Men expect women to act like ladies during negotiations and this can cause issues

because if a woman approaches a negotiation, she is seen as being offensive or threatening. It is

important to get rid of this issue in the process because men will male a mistake that women do

not play negotiating games. This can hurt their negotiation and not prepare them for what they

are going to face. It should not be assumed that women cannot be aggressors when negotiating.

I think that this information is very important to keep in mind as a woman and can help

me analyze each situation I walk into and not assume that because there is a man negotiating that

he is going to be aggressive, out to just get his way, or be manipulative. I would use this

information to make me stronger by knowing that I as a woman can fight for what I am

negotiating for and if needed be aggressive and stand my ground to make sure I am not a push
over. It also can enhance my ability to learn how to take authority when negotiating and also

create a plan that will show I can solidify a deal.

I would say the article “How Can Gender Affect Negotiation” is the most valuable article

because it walks through a variety of situations that take place on the negotiation floor, how each

gender is perceived under that category and how to correct the stereotype for both sides. For

example, it talks about negotiation skills and how men and women may approach a negotiation

but then it will explain that each party should identify the strengths in your position and how to

prepare for the outcome. These articles are important because they open our eyes to different

strategies and skills that we should process.