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New research on gender in the workplace from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including "leaning-in," gender inequity, the social and economic effects of maternal employment, and gender diversity's effect on corporate financial performance.
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Female Inventors and Inventions

by Rembrand Koning, Sampsa Samila, and John-Paul Ferguson

Does the gender of inventors make a difference for who benefits from their inventions? Analysis of all U.S. biomedical patents issued between 1976 and 2010 shows that research teams with women were more likely to produce patents addressing women’s health conditions, especially when female researchers led the teams. This link suggests that the dearth of women inventors might also result in fewer female-focused inventions.

Do Experts Listen to Other Experts? Field Experimental Evidence from Scientific Peer Review

by Misha Teplitskiy, Hardeep Ranu, Gary Gray, Michael Menietti, Eva Guinan, and Karim R. Lakhani

Influence is a fundamental aspect of collective decisions. It is thus crucial to consider not only the composition of evaluation panels but also their deliberation process. This study illuminates drivers of influence among an elite population of experts and contributes to our understanding of resource allocation in science and other expert domains.

Women Pay a Higher Career Price in Today's Always-On Work Culture

by Danielle Kost

In industries that prize overwork, both men and women pay the price of missed time with family. But the career damage is more severe for women, says Robin Ely. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Gender-Diverse Companies Thrive Only Where Diversity is Embraced

by Sean Silverthorne

Researchers have produced murky, conflicting results about whether gender-diverse companies perform better than those managed mostly by men. Letian Zhang offers new insight that explains why. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Calculators for Women: When Identity Appeals Provoke Backlash

by Tami Kim, Kate Barasz, Leslie John, and Michael Norton

With calculators targeted to women and laundry products aimed at men, examples of identity-based labeling—or “identity appeals”—abound in advertising and marketing. Five studies show when and why such identity appeals backfire. Identity appeals may fail equally whether they evoke negative or just milder stereotypes.

Has the Glass Ceiling Been Broken (or at Least Cracked)?

by Sean Silverthorne

Harvard Business School researchers have been at the forefront of studies on gender discrimination for several decades. As International Women's Day 2019 approaches, here is what they've discovered so far. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence

by Dina Gerdeman

Researchers believe gender stereotypes hold women back in the workplace. Katherine Coffman's research adds a new twist: They can even cause women to question their own abilities. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Gender Stereotypes in Deliberation and Team Decisions

by Katherine B. Coffman, Clio Bryant Flikkema, and Olga Shurchkov

Professional success requires the ability to contribute ideas, and receive credit for them. This paper explores gender differences in how men and women communicate and reward each other in team decision-making problems. We find that women are recognized less often for their contributions in male-typed domains.

Stereotypes and Belief Updating

by Katherine B. Coffman, Manuela Collis, and Leena Kulkarni

Increasing evidence demonstrates that stereotyped beliefs drive key economic decisions. This paper shows the significant role of self-stereotyping in predicting beliefs about one’s own ability. Stereotypes do not just affect beliefs about ability when information is scarce. In fact, stereotypes color the way information is incorporated into beliefs, perpetuating initial biases.

Women Receive Harsher Punishment at Work Than Men

by Michael Blanding

Women caught in misconduct were 20 percent more likely to be fired and 30 percent less likely to find new employment in the financial services industry, reports new research by Mark Egan and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

When Harry Fired Sally: The Double Standard in Punishing Misconduct

by Mark Egan, Gregor Matvos, and Amit Seru

Despite committing misconduct less often and less severely than men, female advisers in the financial adviser industry face more severe punishment in the labor market, a finding strongly correlated with the gender composition of the managerial team. A similar punishment gap and mitigating factors affect ethnic minority men.

How Should Managers Deal with the Challenges of Building an Inclusive Workplace?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP Few doubt the benefits of a diverse workplace. James Heskett's readers offer insights on the most effective management approaches to inclusion. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Impact of Penalties for Wrong Answers on the Gender Gap in Test Scores

by Katherine B. Coffman and David Klinowski

Multiple-choice questions on standardized tests are widely seen as objective measures of student ability, but the common practice of assessing penalties for wrong answers may generate gender bias. This study documents the impact of a policy change that removed penalties for wrong answers on the national college entry exam in Chile. This simple change reduced the gender gap in test performance by 9 percent.

Celebrating 'The Men and Women of the Corporation' 40 Years Later

by Robin J. Ely

Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s Men and Women of the Corporation inspired and informed a generation of scholars studying gender, status, and power. Robin J. Ely interviews Kanter about her groundbreaking research and why it remains relevant today. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Women Heart Patients Have Better Survival Odds with Women Doctors

by Rachel Layne

Roughly one in 66 women has a better chance of leaving the hospital alive if their doctor is also a woman, according to research by Laura Huang and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Kids of Working Moms Grow into Happy Adults

by Dina Gerdeman

In earlier research, Kathleen McGinn and colleagues discovered that adult kids of working moms are high achievers at work. Now it turns out they are happy, too. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Sponsorship Programs Could Actually Widen the Gender Gap

by Carmen Nobel

Companies increasingly provide sponsors to help women get ahead. But certain aspects of sponsorship programs can hinder women instead, according to experimental research by Nancy R. Baldiga and Katherine B. Coffman. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Sexual Harassment: What Employers Should Do Now

by Dina Gerdeman

Organizations are realizing they are not doing enough to stop the inappropriate behavior that can lead to an awkward office environment, lawsuits, and reputation damage. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Black Business Leaders Series: Oprah’s Path to Authentic Leadership

Bill George traces Oprah Winfrey's growth from childhood, focusing on how and when she discovered her true voice and how that authenticity spurred her career success. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

When Gender Discrimination Is Not About Gender

by Katherine B. Coffman, Christine L. Exley, and Muriel Niederle

Gender discrimination in a typically male workplace is not necessarily driven by misogyny. Rather, employers are less willing to hire applicants associated with a lower performing group-even if that group is defined by a demographic characteristic other than gender.