Focus on Women’s Strengths
Women can come out on top in business and making smart decisions:
Recent research involving 10,888 business people, graduate students, and undergraduates from several countries, including the U.S., found that women may be more effective than men in negotiating finances in certain situations. This finding debunks the stereotype that men are inherently better and tougher negotiators than women and the stereotype that men are better at negotiating money matters. Interestingly, women surpass men at the bargaining table only under certain circumstances, for instance, when they are negotiating on someone else’s behalf. This finding suggests that when women never make it to the bargaining table or when they are less effective than men, it is not because of lack of ability but, rather, because they become deskilled when it comes to advocating for themselves. Women may unknowingly be acting in line with female roles and stereotypes, leading them to be accommodating instead of competitive.
Researchers found that women outperform men under circumstances when they have learned negotiating skills (are prepared) and when they understand the bargaining parameters (rules of the game). The lesson here is that women can educate themselves and learn to drive a competitive bargain.
References:
- Cortés, P., French, J., Pan, J., & Zafar, B. (2024). Gender differences in negotiations and labor market outcomes: Evidence from an information intervention with college students (NBER Working Paper No. 32154). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w32154
- Stuhlmacher, A. F., Bilke, L., & Hertel, G. (2014, November 24). A Meta-Analysis on Gender Differences in Negotiation Outcomes and Their Moderators. Psychological Bulletin; DOI: 10.1037/a0038184
Dr. Margolies’ commentary:
Many women are unaware of how their manner of speaking and delivery undermines their credibility and power, and literally their “voice.” Common issues I see in young women and women in general when they are speaking are: ending sentences with a question mark sound, coming across as uncertain when they are not, for example, hesitating, using phrases that indicate uncertainty, or asking the listener for their approval. Watching videos of oneself, especially in preparation for a negotiation or talk, is often very helpful and informative.
Women Make Better Decisions Than Men Under Stress
Women and men are equally competent at making decisions under normal circumstances but under stress, women do better than men. Men took more risks and focused on big wins even when the wins were more costly. Women, on the other hand, became better decision makers when under stress making prudent, more conservative choices that led to more certain successes. Further, men – unlike women – were unable to recognize when their choices were poor. Also contributing to women’s better decision making under stress is that, under stress, women were more able to take the other person’s perspective whereas men became more egocentric. Consistent with these findings, a study examining global corporations determined that large companies with at least one woman on their boards were more successful by 26% than similar companies with all male boards.
References:
- Huston, T. (2014, October 19). Are Women Better Decision Makers? The New York Times, p. SR9
- Shields, G. S., Malone, T., & Gray, Z. J. (2025). Acute stress differentially influences risky decision-making processes by sex: A hierarchical Bayesian analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 172, 107259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107259
- Pighin, S., Fornasiero, A., Testoni, M., Bogani, A., Bonini, N., Pellegrini, B., Schena, F., & Savadori, L. (2025). Stress awareness and decision-making under uncertainty: Gender-specific effects of mild hypoxia in the Iowa Gambling Task. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 25(6). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-025-01320-1
Being a working mom can benefit children:
Research shows that when moms who work come home in a good mood, their kids’ moods and sleep improve.
Source:
- Lawson, K., Davis, K., McHale, S… (2014, December). Daily positive spillover and crossover from mothers’ work to youth health. Journal of Family Psychology, 28(6), 897-907.
