Product Description

Did you know that by neglecting to negotiate her starting salary for her first job, a woman may sacrifice over a half a million pounds in earnings by the end of her career? Yet, as research reveals, men are four times as likely to ask for higher pay than are women with the same qualifications. In this eye-opening book, Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever draw on research in psychology, sociology, economics and organisational behaviour as well as dozens of interviews to explore the personal and societal reasons women seldom ask for what they need, want and deserve at work and at home. Women Don't Ask - a sensation when published in the US in 2003 - is a call to arms that will help you recognise the ways in which our culture perpetuates inequalities - and how you can begin to overcome them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #255582 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"'Highly readable, thoroughly researched and important...should be read by anyone with a fear of negotiating, male or female.' - New York Times"

About the Author
Linda Babcock is James P Walton Professor of Economics at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sara Laschever has written for the New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, and Glamour, among other publications. She lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Highly Recommended!
The debate on gender equity often emphasizes that women earn less than men with similar experience. Authors Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever say that while women may indeed be the victims of external forces, they also to some extent may suffer from their own inability, unwillingness or aversion to negotiate or make demands. In fact, men negotiate four times as frequently as women, and get better results. Men are much more apt to make demands and ask for benefits, pay increases and so forth. Men make more money not necessarily because the system is overtly discriminatory — though it well may be — but because men demand more. The book tends to belabor its point, and sometimes the evidence does not seem as well-presented as it might have been, but We found that it sheds useful light on a knotty social problem. Perhaps it will spur more women to fight — or to continue to fight — on their own behalf.

The best psycotherapy session I have ever had
From the first 10 pages, I realise this book hits the nail on the head. I can identify myself in 90% of the situations described and I finally understand that there is nothing wrong with my personality, but possibly with my gender, operating in a big corporate environment. This is an eye opener and a call to fight for our rights. But in a "capitalistic" way, rather then via public demonstrations. Every woman should read this book from as early as high school, to start practising her negotiation skills and overcoming the fear to ask. Every mother should pass it to their daughters and spur them to ask and to negotiate. Now I am determined to ask for discounts when I go shopping as an excercise to overcome my own fears. And I am determined to ask for another salary increase even though I just got one last year!

Highly Recmmended!
The debate on gender equity often emphasizes that women earn less than menwith similar experience. Authors Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever say thatwhile women may indeed be the victims of external forces, they also tosome extent may suffer from their own inability, unwillingness or aversionto negotiate or make demands. In fact, men negotiate four times asfrequently as women, and get better results. Men are much more apt to makedemands and ask for benefits, pay increases and so forth. Men make moremoney not necessarily because the system is overtly discriminatory -though it well may be - but because men demand more. The book tends tobelabor its point, and sometimes the evidence does not seem aswell-presented as it might have been, but we find that it sheds usefullight on a knotty social problem. Perhaps it will spur more women to fight- or to continue to fight - on their own behalf.