Women Seek Raises as Often as Men, but Get Rejected More

The most comprehensive review of women's roles in corporate America has a bleak bottom-line stat: Generally speaking, we remain about 100 years away from gender equality in the executive ranks, according to Women in the Workplace 2016. It's "not just bad for women, it’s bad for our companies and our economy," writes Facebook exec Sheryl Sandberg, author of Leaning In, in the Wall Street Journal. But Sandberg also sees signs of progress, including the revelation that women are now asking for raises and promotions as often as their male counterparts. The downside? On average, they're less likely to receive them.

In part, that's because it's still seen as normal for a man to go after a raise, but not so much for a woman. "The challenge is how to break down the stereotypes that cause people to dislike women when they make that ask," writes Sandberg. "Women who negotiate are 67% more likely than women who don’t to receive feedback that their personal style is 'intimidating,' 'too aggressive,' or 'bossy,' and they are more likely to receive that kind of feedback than men who negotiate." One part of the solution is to keep encouraging women to seek these raises, and someday it will be "seen as perfectly normal, and even expected, for women to ask for more." Click for Sandberg's full column. (More Sheryl Sandberg stories.)