Women Don't Ask
I just read the well-reviewed *Women Don't Ask* by Babcock and Laschever. Main thesis: Women should bargain harder. It is frankly kind of silly. The whole book makes it sound like aggressive bargaining is a strictly dominant strategy, so women will definitely be better off if they do more of it. It never considers the obvious possibility that women will price themselves out of a job. Nor does it explore the interesting possibility that one reason female employees are doing so well in spite of obvious child-related drawbacks is precisely that employers know that they are less likely to demand more money. The book also tries to get women to bargain more aggressively in relationships. I think this is another case where feminist norms are likely to function as a price control - some women will get a better deal, but a lot of others will be unable to get married because their standards are too high. -- Prof. Bryan Caplan Department of Economics George Mason University http://www.bcaplan.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] I hope this has taught you kids a lesson: kids never learn. --Chief Wiggum, *The Simpsons*
Re: Women Don't Ask
Following the analogy of price control, any evidence that the group advocating aggressive relationship bargining are the same ones who would generally benefit by such a policy? On a related note, do the strength of male/female bargining positions in a long term relationship change as male libido decreases over their 20's and 30's and female libido peaks around 35-38? (Think Battle of the Sexes over several periods...) Wild conjectures welcomed. -- John Morrow Quoting Bryan Caplan [EMAIL PROTECTED]: I just read the well-reviewed *Women Don't Ask* by Babcock and Laschever. Main thesis: Women should bargain harder. It is frankly kind of silly. The whole book makes it sound like aggressive bargaining is a strictly dominant strategy, so women will definitely be better off if they do more of it. It never considers the obvious possibility that women will price themselves out of a job. Nor does it explore the interesting possibility that one reason female employees are doing so well in spite of obvious child-related drawbacks is precisely that employers know that they are less likely to demand more money. The book also tries to get women to bargain more aggressively in relationships. I think this is another case where feminist norms are likely to function as a price control - some women will get a better deal, but a lot of others will be unable to get married because their standards are too high. -- Prof. Bryan Caplan Department of Economics George Mason University http://www.bcaplan.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] I hope this has taught you kids a lesson: kids never learn. --Chief Wiggum, *The Simpsons*
Re: Women Don't Ask
Um, who says the male libido decreases over the 20s and 30s? :-D David Levenstam In a message dated 1/28/04 3:05:00 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Following the analogy of price control, any evidence that the group advocating aggressive relationship bargining are the same ones who would generally benefit by such a policy? On a related note, do the strength of male/female bargining positions in a long term relationship change as male libido decreases over their 20's and 30's and female libido peaks around 35-38? (Think Battle of the Sexes over several periods...) Wild conjectures welcomed. -- John Morrow
