Shocking News

Study says flirtatious women get fewer raises, promotions

Women who send flirtatious e-mail, wear short skirts or massage a man's shoulders at work win fewer pay raises and promotions, according to a Tulane University study to be presented Monday at the Academy of Management annual meeting in Honolulu.

And men who do those things get fired. And sometimes sued.

In the first study to make plain the negative consequences of such behavior, 49% of 164 female MBA graduates said in a survey that they have tried to advance in their careers by sometimes engaging in at least one of 10 sexual behaviors, including crossing their legs provocatively or leaning over a table to let men look down their shirts.

Where are these women working? I want to work there.

The other half said they never engaged in such activity, and those women have earned an average of three promotions, vs. two for the group that had employed sexuality. Those who said they never used sexuality were, on average, in the $75,000-$100,000 income range; the others fell, on average, in the next-lowest range, $50,000 to $75,000.

Isn't it possible that women who aren't flirtatious or provocative are more serious workers and, therefore, more qualified for bonuses, raises and promotions? The study seems to suggest that the behavior itself is the limiting factor, when the behavior may simply be indicative of women who aren't as qualified to reap rewards.