Gender stereotypes often enter the negotiation process. Women and men are perceived to, and often do, act differently in negotiations. Furthermore, gender-based discrimination is often a source of conflict, with women challenging the all too common status quos of less pay, unequal treatment and sexual harassment. Understanding how men and women engage differently is critical to the adoption of successful negotiation strategies and process designs. Finding a way to fairly and effectively negotiate gender discrimination issues is a powerful way to confront them.

A variety of materials explicitly involving gender and negotiation are available through the Clearinghouse. In the Casino role-play, the vice president of a software company is meeting with one of his programming managers to discuss the fate of the product her team has been developing, as it has received poor internal reviews. The manager has more on her mind than the product, as she feels she is being unfairly treated by and paid less than her male colleagues. In the Women Negotiate video, three professional women negotiators explore the issue of gender in negotiations, including overcoming stereotypes. Her Place at the Table: A Woman’s Guide to Negotiating Five Key Challenges to Leadership Success is a practical guidebook for women in demanding roles.