MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How to Lead the Charge With Gender Balance

Recent MIT Sloan Management Review articles provide insights and research into some of today’s leading issues for women in the workforce.

In 1963 and 1964, two landmark acts — the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act — brought the promise of great change for women in the U.S. workforce. But 55 years later, the gender pay gap persists across all levels of the organization, and the lack of women at the top of organizations is acute. Less than 5% of Fortune 500 companies are run by women. While this gender imbalance is frustrating for women across all industries and jobs, the disparity in representation and pay is especially pronounced for women of color.

As a recent New York Times article points out, women often find themselves in a double bind as they navigate the corporate landscape — where exhibiting the same kinds of leadership qualities as their male counterparts can both propel them and set them back. Other research points to how the horizontal sorting of women and men into different job categories in the hiring process hinders women not only with glass ceilings but also “glass walls.”

About the Author

Ally MacDonald (@allymacdonald) is senior associate editor, digital, at MIT Sloan Management Review.

Learn more about MIT SMR.