Some Effects on Proportions on Group Life: Skewed Sex Ratios and Responses to Token Women

R. M. Kanter

Article | American Journal of Sociology | March 1977

Some Effects on Proportions on Group Life: Skewed Sex Ratios and Responses to Token Women

by R. M. Kanter

Keywords: Groups and Teams; Gender;

Format: Print

26 pages

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Kanter, R. M. "Some Effects on Proportions on Group Life: Skewed Sex Ratios and Responses to Token Women." American Journal of Sociology 82 (March 1977): 965–90. (Reprintings include: Representative Bureaucracy, edited by J. Dolan and D. Rosenbloom. M.E. Sharpe, 2002; Readings in Sociology, edited by R. Curtis. Kendall-Hunt Publishing, 1988; Women and Symbolic Interaction, edited by M.J. Deegan and M. Hill. N.Y.: Allen Unwin, 1986; The Gender Gap and Psychotherapy, edited by E. Carmen and P. Ricker. N.Y.: Plenum, 1984; The Substance of Social Deviance, edited by R.A. Farrell and V.L. Swigert. Alfred Publishing, 1978; Sociological Inventory, Vol. 1, 1979; Reader in Complex Organizations, edited by A. Etzioni and E.W. Lehman. N.Y.: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1980; Sociology: Contemporary Introductory Readings, edited by J. And A. Stimson. Ithaca, N.Y.: Peacock, 1983.)

Gun violence was a significant problem in America. Three Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows Christy Wood, Russell Sternlicht, and Gareth Glaser each decided to do something about gun safety. They each used their professional and leadership experience to identify their own solutions to the issue. Wood created a set of principles for investments funds to pressure gun manufacturers and gun sellers within their portfolios to adopt safety standards. Sternlicht designed a membership-based lobbying and advocacy group in order to harness the power of mass movements to create positive change. And Glaser founded a smart-gun company whose product could help reduce certain types of deaths and injuries. Would any of these three innovations move beyond the historical gridlock on gun safety?

This is a teaching note to the original case: Gun violence was a significant problem in America. Three Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows Christy Wood, Russell Sternlicht, and Gareth Glaser each decided to do something about gun safety. They each used their professional and leadership experience to identify their own solutions to the issue. Wood created a set of principles for investments funds to pressure gun manufacturers and gun sellers within their portfolios to adopt safety standards. Sternlicht designed a membership-based lobbying and advocacy group in order to harness the power of mass movements to create positive change. And Glaser founded a smart-gun company whose product could help reduce certain types of deaths and injuries. Would any of these three innovations move beyond the historical gridlock on gun safety?

From 2008-2010 Anand Piramal ran a series of pilots for his digital healthcare startup, Piramal e-Swasthya (PeS) to “democratize healthcare” in rural areas of India. PeS ran into difficulties so Anand Piramal had to decide whether to continue the organization and if so how. In 2010, an unexpected opportunity emerged that could have significant implications for PeS’s organizational structure and future prospects. Anand Piramal now faced several options for PeS. He needed to weigh the pros and cons of each option to make the best decision to fulfill his vision of providing quality healthcare services to “bottom-of-the-pyramid” populations. This case exemplifies the strategic decisions an entrepreneur must make to ensure that a social impact venture can be sustainable and scalable.

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Some Effects on Proportions on Group Life: Skewed Sex Ratios and Responses to Token Women

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