USA Today - Study says flitaticous women get fewer raises, promotions

USA Today

By Del Jones

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.

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. 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. The women in the study ranged in age from their mid-20s to 60. The average woman was 43 and had received an MBA 12 years ago.

SEXUAL BEHAVIORS

The Tulane study asked 164 female MBA grads to respond to these statements:

I wear a skirt or something more revealing than usual around clients or supervisors to get attention.

I flirt with people at work.

I draw attention to my legs by crossing them provocatively when in meetings or sitting with a group of men at work.

I hint or imply that I am attracted to a man (men) at work even if I am not.

I purposely let men sneak a look down my shirt when I lean over a table.

I massage a man's shoulders or back while at work.

I sent flirty or risqué e-mails to male co-workers.

I tell male co-workers or clients they look sexy or "hot."

I allow men to linger at certain places of my body while hugging them.

I emphasize my sexuality while at work by the way I dress, speak, and act.

Brief said the research has been limited in scope to sexual harassment. This study is ground-breaking, he said, probably because the topic of workplace sexuality is considered taboo. "It's too lurid for some and too politically incorrect for others," he said.

That has created a vacuum filled by those such as Donald Trump, who has advised women to "use those God-given assets" and be sexy, at least to a point.

Such statements are not unchallenged, and Dianne Durkin, president of management consulting firm Loyalty Factor, says any unprofessional behavior is detrimental to a career. "Cleavage is not a plus," she says. The Tulane study's findings are statistically significant to professional women looking for career advancement, Brief said.

The 10 questions, including, "I allow men to linger at certain places of my body while hugging them," were developed from a focus group of women in pharmaceutical sales who said they either employed or witnessed such behavior.

Brief said the study goes so far as to suggest that women should even be careful about letting men open doors or lift boxes that aren't particularly heavy, because chivalry is "benevolent sexism" that advances the stereotype that women are vulnerable and weak.

"Our story is really a feminist story, because we argue that there are negative consequences for women who use sexuality in the workplace," Brief says.

But Durkin says the pendulum can swing too far, and she praises men for opening doors, says hugs between longtime business friends are OK, and is happy that more feminine attire has replaced the female suit and tie.

Almost all the women in the Tulane study who said they used sexual behavior said they did so infrequently. But executive coach Debra Benton, who has long asked business leaders about the pros and cons of sexuality in the workplace, said that if a similar survey were given to men, they would say that women use sexuality "all the time." Women need to be aware that when they say "It's a nice day," men will often conclude "She wants me," Benton says.