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  • 2022
  • Working Paper
  • HBS Working Paper Series

Gender Inequality and the Direction of Ideas: Evidence from the Weinstein Scandal and #MeToo

By: Hong Luo and Laurina Zhang
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:64
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Abstract

How do the Harvey Weinstein scandal and #MeToo affect women’s likelihood of working in male-dominated domains and the types of ideas developed in Hollywood? To discern these events’ impact, we exploit the variation in whether a producer previously collaborated with Weinstein. We find that compared to their non-associated counterparts, Weinstein-associated teams with female talent are more likely to work on male-oriented stories after the shock, and their depiction of female protagonists is less traditionally feminine. Finally, we find no change in the share of female-oriented stories by Weinstein-associated producers, even though they now work substantially more with female talent. Our findings suggest that these events have helped counteract gender stereotypes for women, but they do not mitigate the shortage of female-oriented ideas.

Keywords

Gender Inequality; Gender Segregation; Social Movement; Direction Of Innovation; Creative Industries; Gender; Equality and Inequality; Social Issues; Creativity; Film Entertainment

Citation

Luo, Hong, and Laurina Zhang. "Gender Inequality and the Direction of Ideas: Evidence from the Weinstein Scandal and #MeToo." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-107, March 2021. (Revised December 2022.)
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