Women don’t win by playing the anger card, according to a new study from Yale University psychologist Victoria Brescoll.

Brescoll and Eric Uhlmann at Northwestern University recently completed three separate studies to explore a phenomenon that is all-too-familiar to many women in leadership positions: Anger is not a pretty thing. The studies conclude that men who get angry are accepted and even rewarded but women who lose their temper are perceived to be less competent.

The studies, published in the March issue of Psychological Science, provide women with recommendations for navigating emotional hazards of the workplace. Brescoll says it pays to stay emotionally neutral and, if you can’t, at least explain what ticked you off in the first place.

One method employed by the studies was to show both men and women scenes of men and women (actually actors) who were ostensibly applying for a job. The study participants were then asked to rate the applicants on (1) how much responsibility they should be given; (2) their perceived competence; (3) whether they should be hired; and (4) how much they should get paid.

Male and female participants reached the same conclusions:

Angry men deserved more status, a higher salary, and were expected to be better at the job than angry women.

The study participants provided the same responses regardless of the type of job for which the candidate was applying. Executive- and entry-level candidates were ranked equally.

Emotions, however, had a much greater impact. When the actor-applicants expressed anger, the men were selected as the preferred candidates. And when the actors expressed sadness, the bias seemed to lessen, and women applicants were ranked equally to men in status and competence. Emotions did not have any impact on the participant’s opinions about salary–in both scenarios, the viewers awarded male applicants a higher salary.

A final study showed another way bias against female anger could be mitigated. When women actors explained why they were angry, observers tended to cut them more slack. Men, on the other hand, could actually be hurt when they explained why they were angry - perhaps, says the Yale psychologist, because observers tend to see this as a sign of weakness.

The study seems to lend some credence to the saying, “Kill ‘em with kindness.”

The National Women’s Law Center is promoting Equal Pay Week with Blog for Fair Pay Day today.

Equal Pay Week marks the point in 2008 when the average woman’s wages catch up with what the average man earned in 2007. Women’s earnings are still on average only 77% of men’s. The site has a compilation of blog postings (and a “vlog” posting) about the equal pay issue, and a link for readers to use to urge their senators to vote in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. That’s the law designed to reverse the Supreme Court’s ruling that imposed a very short statute of limitations on equal pay claims. The vote may be as soon as next Wednesday, April 23.

Senator Ted Kennedy issued a press statement yesterday voicing his opinion in favor of the Act.

Equal pay is a tricky issue, but one in which the EEOC and OFCCP have both taken an interest of late. The OFCCP advises federal contractors to conduct self-audits of their pay practices. I can attest that a self-audit is a difficult task because so many factors can influence pay and most employers do not track information about training, education, starting pay, etc., in their HR information system.

Whether you are for or against the Ledbetter Act, now is the time to make your opinion known.

Our readers with HR responsibilities and interests at law firms may be interested in signing up for an hour-long, CLE-accredited webinar on best practices for retaining your firm’s attorneys. One of the presenters is our friend Lauren Stiller Rikleen, author of Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women’s Success in the Law. I’ve heard Lauren speak on several occassions and can attest that she is a fantastic speaker. You can read an article by Lauren titled, Women’s Initiatives: Seeking Opportunities and my review of her book, as well as other articles about women in law in the Delaware Lawyer magazine. (All editions of the Delaware Lawyer magazine have been archived on its website.)

Be sure to let us know what you think if you decide to participate.