For women, it does not pay to be nice: 'Alpha females' earn £40,000 more in their lifetime Women who adopt a 'masculine approach' in the office earn up to £40,000 more in their working lives than their 'nicer' female colleagues, a study has revealed.
It found 'alpha females' earned 4 per cent more than their 'passive' co- workers, while 'neurotic' women - those deemed to be anxious or moody - suffered a drop in salary of 3 per cent.
At the same time, 'conscientious' women who displayed self-control and persistence on the job generally earned up to 5 per cent more than their lazier colleagues.
But although the research found that personality traits are just as important as intelligence in determining a woman's salary, it also revealed that they barely affect a man's earning potential.
The study, entitled Does It Pay to be Nice?, was unveiled yesterday at a conference at Essex University by researcher Guido Heineck. Mr Heineck, from the Institute for Employment Research in Nuremberg, Germany, said it showed that personality traits such as 'agreeableness' were not beneficial in the workplace. 'Personality traits can have the same impact on earnings as intelligence,' he added. 'Our statistics show that being nice does not pay for women, whereas working hard does. 'This is probably, in part, because agreeable people are too passive in conflict situations and are poorer wage negotiators.
'Traditionally, women are more passive and likeable at work. This shows that to be successful in the workplace, women have to adapt to more alpha male-like behaviour.'
It found that alpha females earned on average 4 per cent more than their quieter coworkers - or £40,000 over a lifetime based on a 40-year career with an annual wage of £25,000.
Shelley, APA
1 comment:
We have an 'Alpha' female who is an absolute bitch, especially to the other women in the business but she does however engender a sense of equality because men and women hate her equally!
Forgive me being Anonymous - brave I might be, stupid I ain't!
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