On Friday, we will celebrate International Women's Day 2019, an annual event to promote the advancement of gender equality and gauge our progress across many domains. In business, researchers tell us, progress is happening but is still slow. There are more women on boards than a decade ago, more women CEOs, too. The growth rate of women-owned businesses is three times the amount for all businesses.
But that's not enough. It still feels that compensation, influence, and opportunity flow more freely to men. Gender sterotypes still wall off women from some top jobs and career choices.
At Harvard Business School, researchers tackle these issues through its Gender Initiative, which "supports research, education, and knowledge dissemination to accelerate the advancement of women leaders and promote gender equity in business and society." Below are examples of gender-based topics under study.
A Good Place to Start
A Company’s Evolving View of Gender Equity
Looking at the evolution of gender in US society over nearly 20 years, a study traces how one prominent professional-service firm internalized the shifting concerns.
How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence
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.
Sponsorship Programs Could Actually Widen the Gender Gap
Companies increasingly provide sponsors to help women get ahead. But certain aspects of sponsorship programs can hinder women instead.
Women Receive Harsher Punishment at Work Than Men
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.
Why Employers Favor Men
Why are women discriminated against in hiring decisions? The reason is subtle.
Simple Ways to Take Gender Bias Out of Your Job Ads
The book What Works: Gender Equality by Design, discusses how organizations can leverage findings from behavioral science to fight gender bias in the workplace—starting with job listings.
What Will It Take to Achieve Gender Equality in Leadership?
James Heskett's readers question the meaning of "gender equality" and ponder ways to give women access to the same management opportunities as men.
Research Papers
When Gender Discrimination Is Not About Gender
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.
Beyond Gender and Negotiation to Gendered Negotiations
How does gender affect negotiations within organizations or rather how do organizations affect gender relations?
Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-Family Narrative as a Social Defense against the 24/7 Work Culture
Women’s advancement is slowed because of social defenses at the organizational level, along with wider cultural beliefs that are resistant to change.
Gender Stereotypes in Deliberation and Team Decisions
Women are recognized less often for their contributions in male-typed domains.
When Gender Discrimination is Not About Gender
Gender discrimination in a typically male workplace is not necessarily driven by misogyny.
Image: DNY59
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