People from lower social classes negotiate less - and may face more backlash when they do
What they found
People of lower social class were less likely to negotiate pay, raises or promotions. A hiring experiment suggests asking costs them more.
How they know
Four studies with 10,211 people, from Australian employees to US MBA students and a paid online task. Then 1,133 HR professionals rated a fictitious candidate; negotiating made him seem less cooperative, more so when presented as lower class.
What it means for you
If you hesitate to ask, the risk is not imagined. Still, MBA students who negotiated started about $6,450 a year higher.
The limits
A small gap, mostly from self-report surveys that cannot show asking raises pay. The extra penalty showed only in how cooperative he seemed, and only just; its effect on hiring was indirect. One fictitious male candidate, US evaluators; other cultures untested.
This is a short takeaway in our own words, not a reproduction of the study. For the method, the sample and the caveats, read the original. Mind lives inside the Booking Minds app under the brain icon, where you can save and share each piece.