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Male Immorality: An Evolutionary Account Of Sex Differences In Unethical Negotiation Behavior, Margaret Lee, Marko Pitesa, Madan Pillutla, Stefan Thau

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Past research finds that men negotiate more unethically than women, others report comparable rates of unethical negotiation behaviors. Based on evolutionary psychology, we predict conditions under which sex differences in unethical negotiation behavior are more versus less pronounced. We theorize that greater levels of unethical behavior among men occur as a consequence of greater male intrasexual competition for mates. This suggests that more male unethical negotiation behavior should primarily emerge in situations associated with intrasexual competition. Using a two-wave survey design, Study 1 found a positive relationship between mating motivation and unethical negotiation behavior for male, but not female employees. …