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The reasons for women's relatively slow ascension in the workplace have been a matter of considerable debate. This article explores why so much remains misunderstood about the challenges women face and why negative stereotypes-specifically, the view that women are innately poor advocates for themselves-persist. In fact, women possess unique advantages as negotiators, including greater cooperativeness and stronger ethics. But often those strengths are overlooked or severely undervalued. This article presents practical strategies for managers and negotiators of both genders to close the performance gaps and calls for changing the narrative on what it means to be a successful negotiator.

With the controversy surrounding Larry Summers' comments about innate differences between men and women as a backdrop, examines whether and when gender differences exist in the competitive negotiation arena. Reviews research that documents the impact of negotiators' beliefs and motivations on performance, focusing on gender stereotypes and their message regarding women's inability to perform on a par with their male counterparts in business dealings. Documents the distinct performance impact of stereotypes that operate below the threshold of consciousness versus stereotypes that are out in the open, and specifically explores gender stereotypes in the context of the broader issue of bargaining power. Such stereotypes affect both objective and subjective power at the bargaining table. After providing insights into the way that gender stereotypes operate, identifies strategies for mitigating their potentially harmful effects and instead uses them to encourage performance gains.