Leiden University Student Repository

Meijers, Jeroen (2024)

The Gender Gap in Negotiation: The Role of Contextual Congruence in Female Bargaining Behaviour

Master thesis | Psychology (MSc)

Gender differences in negotiation behaviours have been widely studied, yet results on the impact of gender on negotiation outcomes remain inconclusive. This thesis investigates the effects of social motives, supervisor gender, and negotiation context on the negotiation behaviours of female negotiators. We propose that alignment among these factors enhances negotiation performance and amplifies gender-stereotypical behaviours. Contrary to expectations, the gender of the experimenter did not significantly influence negotiation behaviours directly; instead, it moderated the effects of social motives on concession patterns. Our findings also reveal that when supervised by a female experimenter under pro-social motives, women place a greater emphasis on maintaining relationships compared to when under male supervision. Additionally, women were less likely to actively engage in negotiations when supervised by men compared to women. These results indicate that gender stereotypes and social...Show moreGender differences in negotiation behaviours have been widely studied, yet results on the impact of gender on negotiation outcomes remain inconclusive. This thesis investigates the effects of social motives, supervisor gender, and negotiation context on the negotiation behaviours of female negotiators. We propose that alignment among these factors enhances negotiation performance and amplifies gender-stereotypical behaviours. Contrary to expectations, the gender of the experimenter did not significantly influence negotiation behaviours directly; instead, it moderated the effects of social motives on concession patterns. Our findings also reveal that when supervised by a female experimenter under pro-social motives, women place a greater emphasis on maintaining relationships compared to when under male supervision. Additionally, women were less likely to actively engage in negotiations when supervised by men compared to women. These results indicate that gender stereotypes and social expectations significantly influence negotiation behaviours, and contextual factors critically mediate these effects.Show less

Group negotiation, online negotiation, social value orientation (SVO), gender.

Author

Meijers, Jeroen

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Social and Organisational Psychology

Supervisors

Steinel, W.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en