It seems odd that there are more women than men selling homes, and yet studies show women earn less in residential real estate sales.

I have been wondering why, and came up with some possible reasons.

Women tend to be the nurturers, the relationship builders. It's hard not to build a relationship with someone who is buying or selling a home. By its nature, it can be a highly emotional situation. Perhaps women make less money than men do because they throw money at a transaction to get it to close, since they get emotionally involved in the outcome. Maybe they are more likely to be asked to cut their commission than men are. Or maybe women find it harder to say no when they are asked to do so.

Men could be more business-oriented, or at least they may be perceive as more businesslike and less nurturing. It might be more difficult to ask a male agent to cut his commission. Or a man might be less emotionally invested in all the drama that can occur in a real estate transaction. His clients will have to work out the deal without their agent kicking in some bucks to make it happen.

That is my hypothesis, anyway. What do you think? Is this a big reason for the earnings gap? The main reason? Or am I totally off base?

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