A new study analysis from the American Psychological Association finds that actually, women in business can hold their own during negotiations.

Prior thinking was women were at a disadvantage in comparison to men, because traditional gender roles suggest women are more cooperative and accommodating. And yet, when researchers analyzed 51 studies from across the world, including the United States, Germany, and China, women who had experience in this area were better at negotiating than men. Women were at an even greater advantage when they negotiated on behalf of another person and knew the bargaining range.

If it were any other point in time, this would garner disproval and backlash, but women today are taking a page from Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, shirking ancient ideas they can’t work or negotiate nearly as effectively as men.

“It looks as though gender roles no longer give men a bargaining advantage if women are trained in negotiation, have information about the bargaining range, and if they are negotiating for other individuals,” said Dr. Joachim Hüffmeier, study co-author of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Dortmund, Germany, in a press release.

We’d be remiss not to mention researchers didn't find these same results when looking at women negotiating on behalf of a large organization, or worse, themselves. We say worse because the issue of money and women is complicated. Earlier this year, Cosmopolitan published a story on the benefits of women discussing how much they make.

"To even be interested in money is still on some level viewed as unfeminine and, therefore, undesirable," Amanda Steinberg, the founder of the Daily Worth, a financial-literacy website for women, told the magazine. "It's a narrative that's existed for a long time."

However, refer back to the initial finding: Women are great at negotiating when they’re trained and knowledgeable of bargaining ranges. Why then, don’t businesses invest more time in their female negotiators?

“Gender bias leads us to systematically discount women’s performance… As a manager, you have a strong incentive to make sure that women can succeed in your organization,” said Rachel Thomas, co-founder and president of LeanIn.org, in the organization's "Leadership Tips for Managers" document. “In the global war for talent, leveraging the full potential of the population provides a serious competitive advantage.”

Thomas added bias should not be underestimated. She cited a study that found replacing a woman’s name on a resume with a man’s increases her “worthiness of hire” by 60 percent.

Source: Mazei J, et al. A Meta-Analysis on Gender Differences in Negotiation Outcomes and Their Moderators. Psychological Bulletin. 2014.