‘Alpha,’ Dominant Women Earn More, Study Says

Personality traits play an important part in one’s appreciation at the work place, both from a personal and a professional / financial point of view. While it’s common sense that those who display eagerness and conscientiousness be paid more than those who can be described as slackers, a new study comes to show that women who are more “masculine” at the workplace are actually the highest earners of all, as the Daily Mail can confirm.

Also called “alpha females,” the dominant, highly assertive women who are not afraid of drawing comparisons to a man in terms of behavior at the workplace, are more financially successful since their reward reflects specifically this quality, the findings of the study show. Oppositely, women who are either too “agreeable” or downright neurotic make even less money than the average, the same research shows.

Conducted by researcher Guido Heineck and unveiled at a recent conference at the Essex University, the study, called “Does It Pay to Be Nice?” established that, when it comes to drawing the line, it really does not pay for women to be nice. Ironically enough, while qualities as “agreeableness” or flaws like moodiness are highly frowned upon at the workplace, and therefore reflect in the salary these women receive, they affect a man’s reward in absolutely no way, the same study reveals.

Still, it’s best if women display a more aggressive attitude at the workplace, the findings seem to indicate. “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 behavior.” Haineck explained during the conference.

This study also appears to offer some insight into the still-standing pay gap between men and women, despite sustained efforts on behalf of several concerned parties and organizations. David Yarwood of the equal pay charity Parity certainly seems to think so, telling the Mail that “Personality traits may well account, in part, for the disparity in pay between men and women.”