If You Don’t Ask, You’ll Never Earn What You Deserve: Salary Negotiation Issues Among Female Administrators in Higher Education

The salary equity gap continues to exist, with men earning more on average for every dollar a woman makes. Research suggests that women’s underdeveloped negotiation skills play a role, yet limited research on this issue exists for women in higher education. To this end, the negotiation strategies and gendered communication traits of 22 female administrators across four higher education institutions were studied. Findings indicated that these women tended not to consciously negotiate, given socialization and other issues. Many place a lower priority on salary and often perceive negotiating in a negative manner. When they did negotiate, participants used both masculine and feminine communication traits. Based on data from this study, ideas on how women in higher education can more fully use negotiation to address the gender equity salary gap were offered.