Only 16 per cent women get pay raise when they push for it

Women ask for a pay rise as often as men, but men are 25 per cent more likely to get it when they ask, according to a study debunking the myth that women are too shy to demand a raise. The study, which used a randomly chosen sample of 4,600 workers working for more than 800 employers in Australia, found only 16 per cent of the respondents were successful when they asked, researchers said.

"Ours is the first proper test of the reticent-female theory, and the evidence doesn't stand up," said co-author Amanda Goodall, from Cass Business School. The study also found no evidence that women refrain from negotiations over their salary for fear of upsetting their boss or worsening their workplace relationships.

"Having seen these findings, I think we have to accept that there is some element of pure discrimination against women," said Andrew Oswald, co-author of the study and professor of economics and behavioural science at the University of Warwick.