A review Professor Patricia Rankin co-authored with Dr. Donna Caccamise of the Institute of Cognitive Science at CU Boulder was just released at the Toyko GS10 Gender Summit. This paper provides a broad review of evidence-based research, underlying theories, and interventions related to women’s representation in the workforce.
The paper discusses the issues that contribute to creating a work culture that can drive women from the workforce, particularly from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related fields. The assertion here is that achieving a workforce fully inclusive of women, including at the leadership levels is desirable, and that this will require looking beyond laws and policies to address the biases that women face as well as practical concerns such as how to combine family life with a career. A recent APS BackPage by Professor Rankin highlights some of the arguments in the paper.