Gender and Negotiation

The original premise of this research paper was to look at patterns of male dominance inherent in today's society repeatedly reproducing themselves to undermine a woman's seat at the negotiations table. After a thorough review of multiple resources including books on negotiation, women and leadership, women and negotiation, and an online review of negotiation gender research and gender stereotypes, my findings took a different turn. In order to answer how a woman can get to the negotiations table, I had to find out why she was having trouble getting there in the first place. It is the implications of everyday stereotypes that affect women's roles in negotiations. These stereotypes can be loosely organized into three major categories: opinions of acceptable workplace behavior and femininity, suitable articulation, and societal roles. These assumptions cause a cyclical pattern of diminished expectations of women in the workforce and particularly in negotiations. This paper will provide a background on gender in negotiations, the negotiation style preferred today, and stereotypes. It will also discuss each of the three categories of these stereotypes and their implications and offer solutions to overcoming these stereotypes.