Why Are There So Few Women in Corporate Leadership?

A study suggests the answer is linked to the behavior of both men and women at the top.

It may seem strange to ask — at a time when women account for almost 40 percent of all managerial positions, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics — why so few women have made it to the very highest levels of corporations. Yet after decades of progress, the percentage of women in top management positions remains under 9 percent. And in professional positions (for example, chief financial officer) where women have done relatively well, the percentage of woman has actually declined in recent years, falling to 12.8 percent in 2011 from a high of 14.2 percent in 2004.

What factors make it more or less likely that a firm will have a woman as a top manager? While many anthropological and anecdotal studies have explored this question, few statistical studies have been undertaken. New research by Professor David Ross, working with Cristian Dezsö of the University of Maryland and Columbia Business School doctoral student Jose Uribe, is one of the first large statistical analyses of whether a given top managerial position is likely to be held by a woman.

See full Article: http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/ideasatwork/feature/7330223/Why+Are+There+So+Few+Women+in+Corporate+Leadership%3F#