12 Stories About Gender, Power, and Progress for Women’s History Month

Assistant professor Ashley Martin’s research looks at why, even as old stereotypes fade away, gender remains “a very sticky category.”

Women are paid less than men for entry-level positions in engineering and tech. Research by Professor Adina Sterling finds it has nothing to do with their skill levels but rather a disparity in self-confidence.

Five women who enrolled at Stanford GSB at the height of the women’s movement remember their time on campus as an inflection point for themselves and the school. And don’t miss this video in which three of the women recall how they documented their experience in a presentation called “What’s a Nice Girl Doing in a Place Like This?”

Women working in high tech have described their experiences as a “death by a thousand cuts.” A study details how the inhospitable environment is made worse by micro-aggressions and a lack of acknowledgment that there’s a problem in the first place.

The creator of the quintessential wrap dress talks about losing everything and building herself back up. “Thanks to this dress,” von Furstenberg says, “I became more confident and I shared that confidence with other women.”

Professors Sarah Soule and Shelley Correll’s research suggests that customers are less inclined to buy traditionally “male” products if they think they’ve been made by women. “There’s an assumption that your woman-made craft beer, screwdriver, or roof rack just won’t be as good,” Soule says.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” says Diana Kapp, MBA ’96. Her book Girls Who Run the World: 31 CEOs Who Mean Business highlights the stories of women to inspire the next generation of leaders.

Studies show that male investment advisers commit misconduct at a much higher rate than women, but women who break the rules are more likely to get fired.

In an experiment, women negotiating with a strong backup alternative were seen as equally ambitious and assertive as men with a strong alternative. But men had more success negotiating a beneficial outcome.

A study pinpoints how and when managers’ beliefs about gender creep into their evaluations of employees, particularly in evaluations surrounding personality, future potential, and the idea of exceptionalism.

The answer is yes, according to a study by Professor Margaret Neale that finds that shareholders penalize tech and finance companies for not hiring enough women.

Studies suggest that older women are perceived as less of a threat by younger coworkers due to “intersectional escape,” where people may slip through the space between biases.