Schmader et al (2007) analyzed 886 letters of recommendation for male (235) and female (42) applicants to tenure-track positions in Chemistry and Biochemistry. Very few gender differences reached even a p < .05 level of significance (possibly partially due to the very small female sample). In fact, more differences were found between the tone and ( Read more... )

An article in yesterday's National Post announces that women now outnumber men in "core federal government employment." Since just 1995, the balance in federal bureaucracy has shifted from 54.1% male to 54.2% female. Much of this shift is attributed to a 33% cut in less-skilled jobs over the past decade. Men held 61% of the executive jobs in ( Read more... )

The U.S. Census report "Journey to Work: 2000" (pdf) reported that men spent an average of 27.2 minutes getting to work, while women spent an average of 23.6 minutes. Statistics Canada (Marshall 2006, pdf) reported a bigger gap: 36 to 24 minutes. McGuckin and Murakami (1999) suggest that women's greater household responsibilities lead them to ( Read more... )

insidehighered reports on the COACHE Survey (2007) findings that indicate significant differences in job satisfaction in academia. The survey of 6,773 junior faculty conducted by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 found significant differences in satisfaction and ratings of policy "effectiveness" ( Read more... )

As discussed in April ( "Getting what you deserve", 4/13/07), men are repeatedly shown to negotiate for higher pay more often than women. Linda C. Babcock and Hannah Riley Bowles think this isn't just about getting women to speak up: "This isn't about fixing the women... [women] are responding to incentives within the social environment." Bowles ( Read more... )

John Carvel (2007), writing for the Guardian (UK), discusses the final report of the UK's Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The EOC's latest and last campaign, the "Gender Agenda" includes eyecatching graphics and an online quiz on how sexual inequality affects your life: Sex Equality MOT. (Note: you can not get results without answering that ( Read more... )

As mentioned in December, menstruation is a major cause of absenteeism in women, and some suspect it represents the main cause in the difference between men's and women's attendance in the workplace (in the absence of children). Whitehead et al (1986) suggests that women learn how to handle these symptoms from how their mothers model these ( Read more... )

Gay men and women have many challenges in the workplace. Some are similar; some are different. Chung and Harmon (1994) suggest that gay men are more likely to be interested in traditionally feminine careers than straight men, although they found that masculinity/femininity was not a predictor (as determined by BSRI). Adams et al (2005) did not ( Read more... )

Morgan et al (2001) found both men and women ranked "interesting work" as a high priority when determining their career choices, as determined by college major. However, the two groups seemed to find different things interesting: men were more likely to be enrolled in math or physical science programs, whereas women were more likely to choose ( Read more... )

Good morning folks. I forgot to mention that (in the U.S.) it's Memorial Day, so I'd be sleeping in, and not writing. So instead, here's a five-minute video by SDTimeless (April 2007) which was a class project. It appears SD went out and asked people on the street a few questions about gender differences (focusing largely on equity in the ( Read more... )