RESEARCH_FILE
Linda Babcock
Carnegie Mellon University
Known for:Pioneering research on gender differences in negotiation initiation, showing men negotiate first salaries four times more often than women and that this compounds into six-figure lifetime earnings gaps
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“I can't ask for a raise”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“A no leaves me exactly where silence does, minus the wondering.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Spend five minutes in a private note drafting one compensation request in plain language: role, amount or range, and one sentence of why it fits. Save it without sending, then close the note.
Key findings
- 2003
With Sara Laschever, Babcock synthesized survey and experimental data showing men are four times more likely to negotiate a first salary than women, and that a single un-negotiated starting salary compounds into a lifetime earnings loss exceeding $500,000. Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide ↗
- 2007
With Bowles and McGinn, Babcock demonstrated that gender differences in negotiation outcomes narrow substantially when women are given clear information about what is negotiable — confirming structural ambiguity as a key barrier, not just internal psychology. Ask For It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want ↗