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  • June 2013
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

Dysfunction in the Boardroom: Understanding the Persistent Gender Gap at the Highest Levels

By: Boris Groysberg and Deborah Bell
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

The article examines the gender gap that is present in boardrooms in U.S. corporations and internationally in 2013 as more women attempt to reach executive-level positions. Countries in the European Union are attempting to institute laws regarding the minimum percentage of women on a company's board, while research suggests that women enter executive positions earlier and work harder than male counterparts. Other topics include a discussion of a female director's strengths in fields like board experience, leadership, and organization, why men believe women are more emotionally intelligent, and the challenges female directors of corporations face in interacting with their male counterparts.

Keywords

Equality and Inequality; Governing and Advisory Boards; Gender; United States; European Union

Citation

Groysberg, Boris, and Deborah Bell. "Dysfunction in the Boardroom: Understanding the Persistent Gender Gap at the Highest Levels." Harvard Business Review 91, no. 6 (June 2013): 88–97.

About The Author

Boris Groysberg

Organizational Behavior
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