Linda Babcock

This is one of the best, and life-affecting, books I've ever read. It was written for me and all other people-pleasing, self sacrificing, women. Women who find it difficult to stand up for themselves in difficult situations or would rather sacrifice themselves than cause a conflict or awkward confrontation regarding something they deserve or need. This is a book for both professional and personal spheres of life... I should read it again.

The studies presented in this book are eye opening, and I consider myself an informed feminist. I referenced a few when my fellow engineering graduate students were getting job offers, even my male friends needed some support negotiating.

Nevertheless, the organization of this book is awful. There are anecdotes mixed in with studies, and topics of studies and anecdotes are intermingled. At pg 54, I nearly sprang out of my chair grasping back to pg 42 to compare two studies. The two studies show more describe pay expectations and requests by men and women given the same job. In the first, men and women are given salary ranges and jobs. Given this information, women still expected 3-32% lower wages. In the second study, men and women are assigned a task and paid whatever they ask. Given lists of wages requested by others, the difference in wages requested disappears. The two studies conflict! There is something about the conditions here. The two studies are 12 pages apart, albeit the same chapter, yet the authors seem to have forgotten their earlier example, perhaps because the inserted a section on the valuation of child-care. They instead conclude: "gender differences disappear when men and women receive information about the going rates for different jobs." I believe that conclusion is well supported, but what happened in the study on page 42!!! Did they not have avgs?? Come on, it's chapter one! show less

Interesting, practical guide to getting more out of negotiations, including convincing yourself to negotiate in the first place. Women too often assume that we’ll get what we deserve, which means we get a lot less than men do, because men ask for more. Small initial differences add up into huge gaps over time. And still I feel like I have an awful lot—but I’m trying to figure out what I should be asking for, just to see if I can get it.

This book is a must-read for all women. The authors detail why we need to learn to negotiate, how to do it well, and how to take advantage of the skills women bring to the negotiation table. It covers all sorts of negotiations, from salaries to household chores. This book is great if you already want to negotiate better, but even if you hate negotiating you should read this book: The studies and anecdotes from the many women they interviewed are really quite fascinating.