
- 14 Feb 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
The Delicious History of Hershey Chocolate
Have you ever wondered how Hershey chocolate came to be so popular? Professor Nancy Koehn discusses the life and vision of Milton Hershey, the entrepreneur and philanthropist behind the Hershey chocolate bar, the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the Milton Hershey School. Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
Gender
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- 16 Feb 2017
- Cold Call Podcast
Black Business Leaders Series: A Remarkable Legacy of Firsts, Maggie Lena Walker
Maggie Lena Walker used her leadership of the Independent Order of St. Luke to form a bank, newspaper, and department store—all in the stronghold of the Confederacy. Tony Mayo discusses his case study about this pioneering African American woman. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

- 13 Feb 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Diversity in Innovation
This study discusses a systematic and persistent lack of female, Hispanic, and African American labor market participation in the innovation sector, through both entrepreneurs and the venture capitalists that fund them.
- 14 Dec 2016
- Book
Simple Ways to Take Gender Bias Out of Your Job Ads
Iris Bohnet's new book, What Works: Gender Equality by Design, discusses how organizations can leverage findings from behavioral science research to fight gender bias in the workplace—starting with job listings. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

- 22 Nov 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-Family Narrative as a Social Defense against the 24/7 Work Culture
A common explanation for women’s stalled advancement into high-level positions is that women’s family obligations conflict with the long hours of these jobs. Work-family accommodations have done little to help women advance, however. And men also experience work-family conflict yet nevertheless advance. This study argues that women’s advancement is slowed because of social defenses at the organizational level, along with wider cultural beliefs that are resistant to change. These findings concur with scholars’ observations that progress toward gender equality is slowed to the extent that efforts are focused exclusively on women. Expanding efforts to include a thorough-going reconsideration of gender at work and at home, such that both women and men can freely pursue lives in which one domain need not take precedence over the other, may be more effective.
- 17 Nov 2016
- Op-Ed
What's Behind the Unexpected Trump Support from Women
Why did Donald Trump’s candidacy appeal to so many women voters? Laura Morgan Roberts and Robin Ely say women from varying backgrounds cast their ballots for a number of reasons related to gender, economics, and perceptions of leadership. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

- 22 Jul 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Who Pays for White-Collar Crime?
Punishments of white-collar crime are systematically related to perpetrator, transaction, and company characteristics. This variation is consistent with executives determining appropriate punishments by an economic analysis of costs and benefits. Even so, senior male executives receive lighter punishments than female peers, for example. These and other variations suggest that not all decisions about punishment are taken with shareholders’ interests in mind: The self-interest of host company executives is also an important consideration.
- 18 Apr 2016
- Research & Ideas
The Cost of Leaning-in
Women who are forced to negotiate tend to fare worse than if they hadn’t negotiated at all, according to research by Christine Exley, Muriel Niederle, and Lise Vesterlund. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 13 Apr 2016
- Research Event
What Does 'Diversity' Really Mean?
At Harvard Business School’s fourth annual Gender & Work Symposium, speakers reflected on how the language we use can either hold certain groups back or help point organizations toward positive social change. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

- 13 Apr 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Knowing When to Ask: The Cost of Leaning-in
The popular push for women to “lean in” holds that women should negotiate on their own behalf to overcome the gender wage gap. This study, however, shows the importance of choice in successful negotiations. Women usually choose to enter negotiations leading to financial gains and avoid negotiations that would result in financial losses. Regardless of the reasons for avoidance, leaning-in is not automatically the best advice for women.
- 23 Mar 2016
- Research & Ideas
Researchers Prove C-Suite Gender Gap—but Can’t Explain It
In research involving virtually every top executive in Sweden, Matti Keloharju and colleagues document what many already believe: women get fewer opportunities at top positions and lower pay when they get those positions. But just what is causing this gender gap is not so clear. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

- 15 Jan 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Incentives for Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Reputations
This study documents how small monetary incentives discourage volunteering when they are public and thus introduce a “greedy” signal. The discouragement from this greedy signal, however, is less pronounced among volunteers with public reputations, or those who are likely known not to be too greedy.
- 02 Dec 2015
- What Do You Think?
What Will It Take to Achieve Gender Equality in Leadership?
SUMMING UP James Heskett's readers question the meaning of "gender equality" and ponder ways to give women access to the same management opportunities as men. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 04 Nov 2015
- What Do You Think?
Why Does Gender Diversity Improve Financial Performance?
SUMMING UP Why does having more women in leadership positions make for more successful companies? James Heskett's readers offer a variety of theories. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 23 Sep 2015
- Research & Ideas
Men Want Powerful Jobs More Than Women Do
While women and men believe they are equally able to attain high-level leadership positions, men want that power more than women do, according to new research by Francesca Gino, Caroline Wilmuth, and Alison Wood Brooks. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

- 02 Jul 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Mums the Word! Cross-national Effects of Maternal Employment on Gender Inequalities at Work and at Home
This study contributes to a growing body of research that explores the effects of maternal employment on their children's well-being. Female respondents raised by a mother who worked outside the home are more likely to be employed, more likely to hold supervisory responsibility if employed, work more hours, and earn higher hourly wages than women whose mothers were home full time. Sons raised by an employed mother spend more time caring for family members than men whose mothers stayed home full time, and daughters raised by an employed mother spend less time on housework than women whose mothers stayed home full time. Results overall show the power of non-traditional gender role models, especially employed mothers, as critical factors for reducing gender inequality in labor markets and households across the globe. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

- 15 May 2015
- Research & Ideas
Kids Benefit From Having a Working Mom
Women whose moms worked outside the home are more likely to have jobs themselves, are more likely to hold supervisory responsibility at those jobs, and earn higher wages than women whose mothers stayed home full time, according to research by Kathleen McGinn and colleagues. Open for comment; 33 Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Apr 2014
- Research & Ideas
Venture Investors Prefer Funding Handsome Men
Studies by Alison Wood Brooks and colleagues reveal that investors prefer pitches from male entrepreneurs over those from female entrepreneurs, even when the content of the pitches is identical. And handsome men fare best of all. Open for comment; 13 Comment(s) posted.
- 14 Apr 2014
- Research & Ideas
Difficulties for Women Bridging Racial, Generational, and Global Divides
A symposium at Harvard Business School delved into "intersectionality"—the seemingly obvious yet complex idea that gender interacts with other axes of inequality such as race, age, class, and ethnicity. Open for comment; 1 Comment(s) posted.
- 10 Feb 2014
- HBS Case
Stressing Safety in South Africa’s Platinum Mines
Gautam Mukunda discusses why and how he teaches a case study about Cynthia Carroll, the first woman and non-South African to serve as chief executive of mining giant Anglo American. Open for comment; 4 Comment(s) posted.
For Women Especially, It Pays to Know What Car Repairs Should Cost
Consumers can negotiate cheaper auto repair prices by convincing service reps they know something about market rates—helping women overcome gender discrimination, according to recently published research by Ayelet Israeli and co-authors. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.