Women Are Lied to More in Negotiations than Men

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A study which constructed a faux business deal has found that women are more frequently lied to in negotiations than men. Added to that, men are more likely to be given insider information. Conducted at the Universities of Berkeley-California and Pennsylvania, the experiment took the form of a real estate deal, where one student played the buyer and the other, the seller. The seller was told to sell only to a residential buyer while the buyer’s intention was to turn the property into a tourist hotel (but had been told not to reveal this information). Thus the buyer had to decide whether to tell the truth or to lie.

What’s the Big Idea?

The study found that participants were more likely to blatantly lie to women. “Twenty-four percent of men said they lied to a female partner, while only 3 percent of men said they lied to a male partner. Women also lied to other women (17 percent), but they lied to men as well (11 percent). Perhaps even more telling: People were more likely to let men in on secrets. Men were more likely to be given preferential treatment.” While it may help women to signal their confidence and competence to avoid being taken advantage of, in some cases, they are determined to be bossy or arrogant. Not until we chip away at our biases against inequality will women be treated fairly. 

Read more at Slate

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