On the other hand, disagreeable women earn only about 5 percent more than their gentle counterparts. They were also less likely to be recommended for a promotion than disagreeable male . That may be because people judge no-nonsense women more harshly than no-nonsense men, said researcher Timothy Judge of the University of Notre Dames' Mendoza College of Business in Australia. "Women who appear to be tough or disagreeable get a special kind of scorn directed toward them. "That neutralizes the benefit that they might otherwise receive from their toughness," Judge said.