A catch-22 for women: Negotiating for higher pay can backfire, study finds

Working women have been tutored to "lean in" when it comes to pushing for higher pay on the job — after all, passively accepting an employer's first offer may not pay off, the thinking goes. But negotiating for more women or a promotion may not be so simple, even for high-powered women with strong bargaining positions, a recent study concludes. 

In the years since the best-selling book "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead" by top Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg was published in 2013, researchers have sought to learn more about the gender pay gap and the mechanics behind the stubborn lag in women's earnings. One area getting more attention — the role of status and gender, with researchers at Dartmouth and Harvard universities exploring the dynamics that high-ranking women experience when they negotiate with their company for higher pay.  The findings could shed light on why gender gaps persist at the top levels of organizations despite efforts to encourage women to speak up for better pay and promotion. Even when women have the leverage to push for more generous compensation — such as an offer from a competing firm — they are three times as likely as men with the same offers to fail to reach an agreement, the researchers found.