Pay Range Transparency Laws Deter Female Job Applicants

Research finds women prefer jobs with narrower salary ranges, leading to less assertive negotiation behaviors.

Published on Mar. 7, 2026

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A study from Cornell University found that pay range transparency laws, intended to promote pay equity, can inadvertently deter women from applying for positions with wide salary ranges. The researchers conducted multiple studies and found that women consistently showed a stronger preference for jobs with narrower pay ranges compared to men, which led to less assertive negotiation behaviors. The findings suggest that how employers present pay information matters just as much as whether they disclose it.

Why it matters

Pay range transparency laws were designed to help close gender and racial pay gaps, but this research indicates the way these laws are being implemented may be perpetuating the very gaps they were meant to address. The study highlights how seemingly neutral policies can have unintended consequences that disadvantage women in the workforce.

The details

The researchers analyzed nearly 10 million U.S. job postings and conducted experiments with both prospective and actual job seekers. They found that when job ads included additional context about typical starting salaries and how final offers are determined, it mitigated women's stronger preference for narrower pay ranges and eliminated the gender gap in application decisions and negotiation behaviors.

  • The research was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in 2026.

The players

Alice Lee

The lead author of the study and an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University.

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What they’re saying

“Across our four studies, we consistently found that women show a stronger preference for jobs with narrower salary ranges compared to men, and that this preference is associated with less assertive negotiation behaviors. In other words, the way these laws are being implemented may be perpetuating the very pay gaps they were designed to close.”

— Alice Lee, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior (Mirage News)

“Pay transparency laws represent meaningful progress, but transparency alone isn't enough. How employers present pay information matters just as much as whether they disclose it.”

— Alice Lee, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior (Mirage News)

What’s next

The researchers suggest that employers should provide additional context about typical starting salaries and how final offers are determined when disclosing pay ranges, in order to mitigate the unintended consequences of pay transparency laws.

The takeaway

This research highlights the importance of considering the nuanced ways in which well-intentioned policies can have unintended effects. While pay transparency laws are a step in the right direction, employers and policymakers must carefully consider how pay information is presented to ensure these laws achieve their goal of promoting pay equity.