WHAT IS THE GENDER LEADERSHIP GAP?

U.S. Private Sector Executives, by Gender and Race/Ethnicity, 2014 Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.) job patterns for minorities and women in private industry.

Women in U.S. Elected Offices, by Race/Ethnicity, 2016 Source: AAUW-assembled data for this figure provided by Center for American Women and Politics (2016a, 2016b) 1 Does not include U.S. territories or the District of Columbia 2 Mayoral data are from 2015

WHAT EXPLAINS THE GENDER LEADERSHIP GAP?

Explicit Bias and Discrimination Women still experience overt discrimination in the workplace. In the past five years, 30,000 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cases of sex discrimination were settled or decided in favor of the person who filed the charge.

Structural Factors Caregiving and Women’s “Choices” The Gender Pay Gap Lack of Networks and Mentors

Stereotypes and Bias A stereotype is a cognitive “shortcut” that categorizes people on the basis of characteristics such as gender, race, or age. A bias is a semi-permanent belief based on repeated exposure to stereotypes. People are less likely to openly admit to negative stereotypes and biases today than in the past.

Implicit Bias Beliefs, attitudes, or biases may happen “beneath the surface.” Most people possess subtle or even unconscious beliefs about gender and/or bias against women in leadership.

HAVE ANY STRATEGIES ALREADY HELPED NARROW THE GENDER LEADERSHIP GAP?

Strategies for Narrowing the Gap Trainings Employment practice reform Role Models Implicit Association Testing (IAT)

The Implicit Association Test The IAT assesses unconscious biases or attitudes. It measures how quickly people can sort words or pictures into categories. People are faster to associate categories that are already connected in their minds.

The AAUW Implicit Association Test on Gender and Leadership

Early Respondent AAUW IAT Score Means by Gender and Feminist Identity

Source: Mo, C. H. (2015). The consequences of explicit and implicit gender attitudes and candidate quality in the calculations of voters. Political Behavior, 37(2), 357–95. Mean IAT scores by gender provided by author. Average Gender/Leadership IAT Scores by Gender, Comparison of AAUW IAT with Recent Study

HOW DO WE CLOSE THE GENDER LEADERSHIP GAP?

Recommendations for Individuals Become a student of leadership. Seek evidence-based leadership training. Find a sponsor or become one. Look for volunteer opportunities that develop leadership skills. Explore and address your biases. Start by taking the AAUW Implicit Association Test at

Recommendations for Employers Offer flexible schedules. Focus on productivity, not face time. Offer evidence-based diversity training. Actively encourage sponsorship programs.

Recommendations for Policy Makers Strengthen pay equity laws. Create incentives for workplace flexibility and fairness. Update laws to protect pregnant workers.

AAUW Programs and Resources The AAUW Implicit Association Test on Gender and Leadership AAUW Start Smart and Work Smart Salary Negotiation Workshops Elect Her The National Conference for College Women Student Leaders