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Forbes
2 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
How To Close the Gender Gap in Workplace Competition
Team of happy female soccer players celebrating their achievement on a playing field at sunset. A new Wharton study shows that women are less likely to enter competitions than their male colleagues at work. In my interview with Katy Milkman, the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School, and Sophia Pink, a PhD student at the Wharton School, they shared their new research on this gender competition gap. Their research found that there is a persistent gender gap in competitive environments which has significant consequences, not just for women, but the organizations that want to maximize the use of their talent. "We were wondering, what if we told women when they're deciding between what jobs to apply for, that women, on average, are less likely to apply for jobs than equally qualified men, would that help?' Milkman explained. This is known as "stereotype reactance." Stereotype reactance is the process of informing women about the existing gender gap in competition proactively. This can paradoxically increase their likelihood of applying for jobs. This is attributed to women's potential desire to resist conforming to negative stereotypes and a motivation to take action against the observed inequality. Pink notes, "What we found is that women who saw this reactance inducing message where they learned about this gender competition gap applied to about 20% more jobs on the day they saw the banner, so it led to this big and meaningful boost in job applications." Milkman and Pink recommends organizations use more 'just in time' interventions. This could be providing a prompt at moment of decision reminding women about the gender competition gap or equipping managers to encourage women on their teams to apply for positions to overcome this gap. These "just-in-time" interventions can create a more equitable playing field by mitigating the impact of confidence barriers and internalized norms. Milkman and Pink advocate for a shift in promotion practices, suggesting that organizations should make promotions the default rather than requiring individuals to opt-in. This seemingly simple change can act as a powerful form of encouragement, particularly for women who may be hesitant to self-promote or may underestimate their qualifications. By making promotion consideration a standard process, companies can proactively level the playing field and mitigate the impact of the gender competition gap. They found research from the University of Toronto supports this recommendation. Their findings indicate that when promotion processes are structured so that all eligible individuals are automatically considered, the gender gap in who receives promotions significantly diminishes. This suggests that the act of requiring individuals to nominate themselves or actively seek promotion may inadvertently disadvantage women, potentially due to societal factors influencing their confidence in self-promotion or their perception of their readiness. Implementing default promotions can foster a more equitable and inclusive workplace culture. It sends a clear message that the organization values all its talent and is actively working to ensure fair opportunities for advancement. This approach can also help to identify high-potential individuals who might otherwise be overlooked due to their reluctance to self-nominate. By removing the barrier of self-nomination, organizations can tap into a wider pool of talent and create a more diverse and representative leadership pipeline. Research highlights the crucial role of proactive positive feedback in fostering confidence and narrowing the gender competition gap. Managers, mentors, and other allies can actively support women by specifically identifying and acknowledging their strengths and accomplishments. This validation helps women recognize their capabilities and encourages them to put themselves forward for opportunities. Allies can play a vital role in explicitly pointing out the reality that if qualified women choose not to apply for a promotion or new challenge, others will undoubtedly step forward, emphasizing that their absence leaves a void that will be filled. This direct and encouraging approach can counteract any hesitancy stemming from a lack of confidence and empower women to embrace competitive opportunities. Milkman suggests, "Rather than trying to solve long-term, systemic gender socialization problems around gender and competition, these interventions can help remedy the gender competition gap now. The answer is that we have to raise awareness about these issues and develop science-based tools that help combat them." For organizations that want to close the gender competition gap, consider identifying points where the gap might exist, make promotions default and give feedback boosts on confidence.
New York Times
31-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Why Boys Are Behind in School From the Start
Girls have been outperforming boys in American schools for decades, from elementary school through college. But the gender gap in education starts even earlier: Boys enter kindergarten less prepared than girls, and this early deficit can compound and help explain some of the recent struggles of boys and young men. Across measures of kindergarten readiness — including reading, math, motor skills and behaviors like socializing, paying attention and regulating emotions — girls score higher than boys. Girls Outpace Boys in Kindergarten Skills Share of U.S. children ages 3 to 5 considered on track for kindergarten in 2022 and 2023 combined. Source: National Survey of Children's Health By The New York Times These are averages, and researchers emphasize that there are many boys with strong skills and girls with lagging skills. Other factors also contribute — the gaps in kindergarten readiness by family income and by race are larger than they are for gender. But over the last two decades, as those gaps have narrowed, the gender gaps have become more consequential. Kindergarten has become significantly more academic because of a national law passed in 2001, with children expected to spend more time sitting still and learning math and reading — and many boys do not enter with the skills to meet those expectations. Adding to that, childhood has changed in recent years in ways that could have set back boys further. The isolation of the pandemic delayed young children's development, parents are increasingly stressed, and children are spending more time on screens. These factors affect all children, but they may have been particularly hard on boys, who scientists have shown are more vulnerable to hardship. Race and Kindergarten Readiness Share of Ohio kindergartners demonstrating kindergarten readiness in fall 2024. Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce By The New York Times Less Art and Play, More Math and Reading Share of kindergarten teachers who agreed in 1998 and 2010. Source: Daphna Bassok, Scott Latham and Anna Rorem By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Free Malaysia Today
27-05-2025
- Science
- Free Malaysia Today
Men's love for meat, cars makes them pollute more than women
Findings show that car use and consumption of red meat – often associated with male identity – account for most of the residual difference in carbon footprints. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : A recent French study highlights the gender gap in carbon footprints, revealing that women emit 26% less carbon dioxide than men – mainly due to lower car use and lower consumption of red meat. This preliminary study was carried out by Ondine Berland at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Marion Leroutier at Crest-Ensae Paris, based on survey data on the mobility and eating habits of over 15,000 people. It reveals that men's annual carbon footprint for food and transportation is the equivalent of 5.3 tonnes of CO2, compared with 3.9 tonnes for women. The gap remains significant even when standard of living, distances travelled, and volume of food consumed are taken into account. 'The data show that red-meat consumption and car use – which are both high-emission goods often associated with male identity – account for most of the residual difference in carbon footprints once variations in food quantity, distances travelled, and employment status are considered,' explains an overview of this working paper. The survey also reveals that the gender gap in carbon footprints is as wide as that between low- and high-income individuals. This underlines the importance of cultural and social – and not just economic – factors in CO2 emissions. The researchers believe that these results highlight how men and women could be affected differently by the implementation of climate policies. It could be less challenging for women than men to adopt consumption patterns compatible with net-zero objectives, they noted. 'Our results suggest that traditional gender norms, particularly those linking masculinity with red-meat consumption and car use, play a significant role in shaping individual carbon footprints. 'This points to the potential for information policies that challenge such norms – for example, by reframing plant-based alternatives as compatible with strength and performance,' Berland said. The researchers point out, however, that further studies are needed to shed more light on their findings and hypotheses. This is not the first time that the subject of gender differences in individual carbon footprints has been studied. A UK study published in the journal Plos One at the end of 2021 estimated that men pollute 41% more than their female counterparts, primarily due to their consumption of meat. Another study published the same year, this time in Sweden, showed that men produce around 16% more greenhouse-gas emissions than women – again, mainly due to their appetite for meat and greater consumption of fuel.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A 29-year-old entrepreneur's side hustle brought in $40 million in a year. Now she wants to help other 'uninvestable' women.
Daniella Pierson is launching CHASM to help women secure venture capital funding. Pierson said she was laughed out of meetings with VCs when pitching her newsletter called The Newsette. She built a multimillion-dollar business anyway, and wants to help other women do the same. Before building her multimillion-dollar business, Daniella Pierson said she was "the poster child" for "do not invest in." Now, she aims to help other "uninvestable" women secure financing for their ideas with her new organization, CHASM, where she wants to help close the gender gap in VC funding. "I had zero investment, not because I didn't want it. I wanted it very badly," Pierson told Business Insider. "I went to dozens of VCs, and I was rejected, rejected, rejected, laughed out of every room." One "household name" told Pierson she spoke too much and too quickly, and didn't know what she was talking about: "I cried the whole Uber home." Despite the setbacks, Pierson made a name for herself with her newsletter, The Newsette, which she founded in 2015 during her sophomore year at Boston University. Until graduation, she would write the entire newsletter between 6 and 10 a.m., covering the latest news in beauty, fashion, and business, before rushing to classes. Then she'd work on it in the evenings and weekends too. "Even after we made a million dollars, I still wrote it," Pierson said. "I didn't have fancy VC money to fall back on." In 2021, The Newsette had a team of 14 and brought in revenues of $40 million in one year and made a profit in the tens of millions. The following year Pierson launched another newsletter, Wondermind, cofounded with Selena Gomez and the actor's mother, Mandy Teefey. That year, Forbes named Pierson the world's youngest, wealthiest self-made woman of color. It took Pierson more than five years of hard work to become successful beyond her "wildest dreams." Pierson said she grew up as "the dumb twin — that's not a nickname I gave to myself. That's something my lovely teachers and peers called me in public to my face." She faced numerous barriers and challenges as a female entrepreneur. She failed her business project at college and was almost kicked out a semester before graduation. She was diagnosed with OCD when she was 14, and also lives with ADHD, depression, and anxiety. Pierson doesn't want it to be this hard for other women like her. The amount of funding all-women teams receive is low. In 2022, they accounted for 2.1% ($5.1 billion), BI previously reported. In 2023, it dropped to 1.8% ($3.1 billion). "That made me really mad," Pierson said. "So I was like, what am I going to do? I'm going to close the gender gap." CHASM, which launched on May 20, has a "mentor-to-many" business model. Fifty high-profile entrepreneurs and investors, both men and women, pay a $25,000 membership fee to help aspiring female entrepreneurs from pitch to exit, offering insights, networking opportunities, and grants. Pierson said she wanted to provide women the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to thrive as entrepreneurs without facing the same roadblocks that she did. Pierson said women start out "50 feet below the playing field" when launching a business. She believes men are part of the solution. "The gap has opened wider because we're isolating men," Pierson said."That could be a controversial statement, but I don't think it is, because guess what? If 99.999% of the money, power, wealth, all of that belongs to men, we need some of them on our side." Pierson said she doesn't want to "just throw money at the problem." "I'd rather teach a woman how to fish than just give her a fish," she said. "I want to put them in the best position for success by giving them the ultimate Bible of everything." Some members already signed up for CHASM include Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx and Sneex; singer Lionel Richie; Fidji Simo, the CEO and chair of Instacart who is joining OpenAI later this year; and Tony Robbins, a motivational speaker and coach. "This is putting my heart and soul, and my time, where my values are, and I hope people really use this to become the most successful versions of themselves, no matter what industry they're in," Pierson said. "If I can do it, anyone can." Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Women contribute less to climate-heating emissions than men, study finds
Men generate significantly more climate-heating emissions than women, according to a new study. Men's choices in food and transport, two of the most polluting sectors, lead to 26 per cent higher carbon emissions than women's. Researchers studied over 15,000 people to analyse how gender shaped what we ate, how we moved, and how much we polluted. Even after adjusting for income, job type and household size, a gap of 18 per cent remained. The biggest culprits behind significantly higher emissions from men were red meat and cars. The researchers found that these two lifestyle choices alone explained almost all of the remaining gap after accounting for biological and socioeconomic differences. Red meat, for example, makes up only 13 per cent of the average food footprint but accounts for 70 per cent of the emissions difference between men and women. Cars are responsible for the entire gap in transport emissions, with men more likely to drive alone and use more polluting vehicles. By contrast, emissions from flights are similar across genders, suggesting not all carbon-intensive behaviours are split the same way. While men tend to eat more calories and travel longer distances, the study shows that this doesn't fully explain the gender gap. After controlling for these differences, a significant gap remains, rooted in how people consume, not just how much. Even within similar income groups, men consistently show higher-emitting dietary and travel habits. Among single men and women, where factors like household roles or childcare aren't in play, the food-related emissions gap is wider than in couples, while the transport gap is smaller. This suggests that shared meals nudge women's diets upward, while commuting patterns widen the gap in couples, especially those with children. The study by researchers from the London School of Economics and the Institute of Polytechnique de Paris points to longstanding cultural associations between masculinity and high-emission goods. Red meat and cars, in particular, are repeatedly linked to male identity in social science research. This could help explain not just consumption patterns, but also the growing climate concern gap between men and women. If men face higher personal costs to cut emissions, giving up meat or reducing car use, they may be less inclined to support climate action. Previous studies show that women in high-income countries are more likely to adopt climate-friendly behaviours and support environmental policies. But the researchers caution that climate concern may also drive the behaviour, not just the other way around. In other words, lower-carbon lifestyles might reflect and reinforce deeper values and priorities. The new study challenges the idea that income alone explains who pollutes most. In fact, the gap in emissions between men and women is roughly the same as the gap between high-income and low-income groups in the same sectors. This raises important questions for climate policy. If carbon taxes or behaviour change campaigns target high-emission activities like driving and eating meat, they may disproportionately affect men, especially those who associate such consumption with identity or status. The study also suggests that public messaging and policy design need to take social norms and gender roles into account, not just market signals or price incentives. The researchers calculated that if all adult men in France adopted the average carbon intensity of women, keeping the same food intake and travel distances, national emissions from food and transport would fall by over 13 million tonnes of CO2 per year. That's equivalent to three times the reduction France expects to achieve in those sectors annually under its 2030 climate plan. While men tend to emit more, studies show that women are more likely to suffer the consequences of climate breakdown, especially in lower-income countries where they have less access to resources, limited land rights or little decision-making power during crises. According to the UN, women and children are up to 14 times more likely to die during climate-related disasters. They also make up around 70 per cent of people displaced by such events, due to factors such as caregiving roles, lower mobility and reduced access to resources.
