Are Women Greedier Than Men?

[SanFranciscan]

I was at a company gathering when the conversation took an angle that I feared would turn into an ugly battle of the sexes and ruin a nice company party.

A male co-worker said that he preferred to conduct business with men as co-workers, clients, and supervisors. He also preferred male landlords for both residential and commercial real estate because landladies were less willing to take responsibility for building maintenance and more likely to want absolute top dollar for rent. The men there agreed with him so I understand why they might be more comfortable with "their own." I wondered whether women preferred to deal with another woman.

A female secretary present said that women were harder to work for, and a female professional sales person said that women had much higher expectations for any product or service being sold, even when receiving a discount.

I have never been in charge of negotiating any accounts while at work. Are there any professional negotiators here who can enlighten me? Was I among particularly sexist companions, or are women greedier than men?

I will delete this post if it is too offensive. I just wanted to get some honest answers from people who don't have to be afraid to answer since they can do so anonymously. By the way I am a female who is now concerned about how my actions my be reflecting upon other women.

 

[bballmom56]

I absolutely believe there is still a double standard. A man who drives a hard bargain is a "good businessman". A woman doing the same thing is a witch.

I have worked for both men and women, both good and not so good in both genders. The women were much more particular about the tasks assigned and the results from those tasks. The men didn't pay as much attention to the details as women did. As long as their superiors didn't criticize the task, the men were happy. It seemed to be as simple as that. Women are more likely to pin you down exactly on something, men dealt in many more generalities.

I work for a woman right now who sometimes doesn't have a clue, which makes things a bit tough. I find it difficult to understand exactly what she wants at times, but I have figured out how to deal with her.

And yes, I think men still like to deal with men because they have always said they don't understand women. At least they think they know where men are coming from.

 

[wdwiala]

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, from my own personal experience I would tend to agree with your coworkers, but I really would NOT use the word "greedy", because I don't think that greed is the issue at all.

I think that the issue is that, in general, women tend to have to work much harder to reach positions of authority, and that once they do get through that glass ceiling they are scrutinized very closely (or at least, they tend to believe that they are.) IME, for that reason they tend to be very wary of ever doing anything that could be interpreted as showing weakness.

All that said, I have a reputation as hard-as-nails negotiator at work -- sales reps (male and female) tend to think I'm a you-know-what on wheels. I don't do it because it's a power trip. I do it because I work for a non-profit and my budget is very tight; squeezing every penny until it squeaks is central to my job -- I wouldn't still have one if I didn't.

 

[dejr_8]

Yes. No explanation required.

 

[sunnydoozer]

Heck no, and no again. Statistics say exactly the opposite as well. Women volunteer more and they are far less likely to ask for raises. Ditto, negotiating car leases and sales, men are far more likely to be greedy with features etc while settling for much lower prices, while statistically women are paying more.

Growing up my brother and I were both into sports and the way my teams dealt with things, vs the way my brother's teams dealt with things was night and day. Ladies teams were always willing to help out with anything under any circumstances. The boys teams were... well greedy, there were a few sportsmanlike moves over the years, but more often than not they would kick any guy that was down for little more reward than a $10 McDonalds gift certificate.


The whole Grameen bank microcredit system is based on the generosity of women. They specifically targeted women for their microcredit because they new the resulting income would be used directly to service their family's basic needs. When they looked at targeting men their was no such guarantee.

 

[GeorgeG]

How about a definite maybe...

My experience has been that it really depends on the individual and the situation and neither gender has an edge on greed.

 

[KristaTX]

Greed isn't the right word. Pushy and demanding in every day things? Yes, I'd say that more people who I encounter with those qualities are female than male. But qualities like being power hungry, violent, and territorial? My initial thought is that history would indicate that people with those qualities are typically male.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I have come to the conclusion that some women have to fight so much harder to get into a top position that they can often come across as a word that rhymes with witch.

 

[marlynnp]

There's definitely a double standard.

A male can act a certain way and he is considered to be assertive.
A woman does the same and she is perceived as being aggressive.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I was at a company gathering when the conversation took an angle that I feared would turn into an ugly battle of the sexes and ruin a nice company party.

A male co-worker said that he preferred to conduct business with men as co-workers, clients, and supervisors. He also preferred male landlords for both residential and commercial real estate because landladies were less willing to take responsibility for building maintenance and more likely to want absolute top dollar for rent. The men there agreed with him so I understand why they might be more comfortable with "their own." I wondered whether women preferred to deal with another woman.

A female secretary present said that women were harder to work for, and a female professional sales person said that women had much higher expectations for any product or service being sold, even when receiving a discount.

I have never been in charge of negotiating any accounts while at work. Are there any professional negotiators here who can enlighten me? Was I among particularly sexist companions, or are women greedier than men?

I will delete this post if it is too offensive. I just wanted to get some honest answers from people who don't have to be afraid to answer since they can do so anonymously. By the way I am a female who is now concerned about how my actions my be reflecting upon other women.

Greedy? No. HIgher expectations? Yeah (and may I remind you all of The Rule? ).

 

[PaulaSB12]

Yes I prefer working for a male supervisor than a woman. In my experience the female supervisors (if the machines are down for any reason) will flirt with male workers and not do any work but if you are female and not working they will act like a witch.

 

[RNMOM]

Women are hard to work for but they are often more likely to express appreciation and be more aware of who is doing their job, or not. JMHO.

I think women, in general, are hard wired to pay attention to all the little things in life. Think about it. We were intended to bring children into this world and care for, teach and prepare them for life. We have to be detail oriented. There are a lot of men who are also this way and a lot of women who are more male like. But the majority of women multitask better and pay attention to the fine print and expect compliance more. That makes them harder to work for. IMHO.

 

[bicker]

People love using the word "greed" in all manner of circumstances that have nothing to do with anyone doing anything wrong.

 

[GeorgeG]

A good example of a double standard is how men are accused of "verbal abuse" when the same thing by a woman is just "nagging."