Assessment Committee Meeting on October 19, 2010

The Assessment Committee met on October 19, 2010, witht he following agenda:
Noon - Introductions of attendees
12:10 -- review the 1997 - 2007 Status of Women Report for how the data was presented
12:20 -- discuss additional data suggestions from the Fall Kick-Off discussions
12:30 -- discuss limitations of data from a variety of sources
12:40 -- assignments for data collection and beginning analyses of changes
12:50 -- finalize plans and actions for the next meeting
12:55 -- adjourn

Some participants attended the meeting in Grange Building, but some also participated from a distance using Adobe Connect.

CFW Meeting on October 13, 2010

The Gender Gap Cracks Under Pressure: A Detailed Look at Male and Female Performance Differences During Competitions

NBER Working Paper No. 16436
Issued in October 2010
Christopher Cotton, Frank McIntyre, Joseph Price

"Using data from multiple-period math competitions, we show that males outperform females of similar ability during the first period. However, the male advantage is not found in any subsequent period of competition, or even after a two-week break from competition. Some evidence suggests that males may actually perform worse than females in later periods. The analysis considers various experimental treatments and finds that the existence of gender differences depends crucially on the design of the competition and the task at hand. Even when the male advantage does exist, it does not persist beyond the initial period of competition."

See http://papers.nber.org/papers/w16436

The Gender Wage Gap as told by HBR.org

According to a recent report in the September 2010 Harvard Business Review, women executives in the UK have not reaped the same rewards at the C-level positions. Expected bonuses for women remained relatively flat even with positive company performance. The men experienced exponential growth in the amount of bonuses as the company had positive performance.

A Swiss study found that women in a progressive community are more dissatisfied with wage gaps than those in traditional communities. The progressive community emphasizes the concept of equal pay.

Pay for women has increased as they have moved from low-skilled jobs into more analytical jobs according to a study of routine tasks and the adoption of computers.

An analysis of 2000 US Census data shows having children results in penalties and rewards for women.

A survey of 1,300 students found female graduates underestimate the level of discrimination they faced in their professional lives.

Additional information for each of the studies can be found on pages 22-27 of the September 2010 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Still Few Women in Management, Report Says

The change in the percentage of women that are managers hasn't changed very much from 2000 to 2007. The increase has been a one percent growth. Read the article.

Why the pay gap between men and women in management persists

A PostLeadership article about the findings of the Government Accountability Office related to the pay gap between men and women in management positions. Read the article.

Assessment Committee at the Commission's 2010 Fall Kick-Off Meeting