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Differences among the respondents:
Within the group, however, marked differences appeared when age and education are taken into account. The women in the sample hit their "negotiating" prime in the 30-40 age bracket, and the more education the better. Willingness to negotiate salary laddered up by educational level, but paradoxically more than a quarter of respondents with college or graduate degrees were still inclined to be dissatisfied with their results. They were also slightly more leery than high school graduates of their ability to handle surprises well during interviews or salary reviews.
Differences by age:
- Willingness to negotiate salary during an interview or review starts strong in the under 30 category, peaks at 30-40, and then falls dramatically for those over 50.
- Those in the 30-40 age group were equally divided between taking results personally and looking to other factors for explanation. Personalization occurred most frequently as a percentage among those over fifty.
- Respondents in all age groups were prepared to make counter-offers once the other side put a number on the table, with that willingness peaking in the 30-40 age group and lowest among those over fifty. This same pattern held when respondents reported on their confidence in handling surprises, with the greatest confidence clustered in the 30-40 age group and the least in the over-fifty bracket. The pattern shifts, however, when respondents evaluated their ability to negotiate on their own behalf. Only 44% of the two groups under 40 felt confident about negotiating for themselves. For those in the 41-50 bracket the percentage reaches 58%, then retreats to 47% for those over fifty.
- Dissatisfaction with results clustered on the two outlying age categories -- those under thirty and those over fifty. In no category were more than a fifth of the respondents completely satisfied with their results. Those between 40 and 50 achieved the highest degree of satisfaction and those under thirty the lowest.
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