Women continue to serve less than men for the same job – a gap that is often attributed, at least in part, to gender differences in negotiations. A new set of Studies Reveals that boys are starting to ask for more than girls in negotiations already in elementary school. This is because girls, even at a young age, think they are less deserving.

In three studies, the researchers examined negotiation behaviors in 462 boys and girls aged 6 and 12 years. The children were asked about their perceptions of negotiations and engaged in negotiations on rewards such as sweets and fun pictures. The work, completed by professors at New York University and Boston College, was published in Developmental psychology.

In one of the studies, children completed a task and then asked how much they deserved for their performance. Girls requested less than boys.

To complete the task, the children were asked to respond to Smiley and Frowny Faces on a screen by saying “Happy” or “Sad” as quickly and accurately as possible. They started with a simple set of attempts, where their response was in line with the emotions shown on faces. Then they moved to a more challenging set of trials, where the rules were turned – demanded them to say “sad” for the smiley face and “happy” for wrinkled faces.

After completing the task, the experimenter told the children that they had done a good job and deserved a bonus with fun pictures. The children were then asked how many pictures they thought they would get. Girls asked for fewer pictures than boys.

Although boys and girls performed equally well on the task, their views differed. Girls thought they didn’t do as well as the boys. This gender difference in self-perception was a key factor behind the gender differences that the researchers observed in the number of requested images, which emphasizes how trust-or a lack of this-can form girls’ experiences from an early age. “Noteworthy boys overestimated their skills (both relative to girls and relative reality) and negotiated more resources as a result,” writes the authors.

Previous research have found that adult women also underestimate their performance in relation to men and that men feel entitled to more pay than women. In the case of children, previous research has also shown that boys tend to points higher in narcissism and self -esteem than girls. This is despite the fact that Girls surpass Boys academically in elementary school through high school.

One possible reason for girls asked for fewer pictures is that they may have learned how to ask for too much could make them seem less equivalent. Previous research If gender differences in adult negotiations have shown that women often expect side effects or counter -reaction if they ask for too much. This expectation can lead to women aiming lower during negotiations.

In the current study, however, the counter -reaction did not explain the differences between boys and girls’ negotiation behavior. Children were asked if they believed that the adult negotiator would like them to be less or annoyed by them to ask for a certain number of pictures, and there were no gender differences in their response. The researchers also judged if girls thought it was less appropriate for girls to ask for things – they did not.

“The only perception variable that related to both girls’ and boy’s behavior and also accounted for a significant part of the gender gap in the negotiations-being children’s skills self-confidence. Boys (against girls) thought they were better than other children in the task they negotiated, and in turn they also negotiated more resources, ”concludes the authors.

The roots of girls’ lower self -evaluations probably originate from social norms, stereotypes and early experiences that subtly reinforce the idea that boys are more capable or deserving than girls. This lack of trust can limit the willingness of girls to advocate for themselves, affect not only childhood negotiations but also career opportunities and wage discussions later in life. To address this issue requires to create environments that encourage girls to recognize their abilities. Closing this confidence gap is crucial to achieving gender equality in negotiations and pay.