The Tuck Knowledge in Practice podcast is produced by the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. The podcast features interviews with Tuck faculty about their research and teaching, and the story behind their curiosity.
Why are women still underrepresented in leadership roles? And what can organizations do about it? In this episode of the Knowledge in Practice Podcast, Tuck professor Sonya Mishra explores the hidden dynamics shaping career advancement, from “likeability penalties” to the unequal expectations placed on women at work.
Drawing on her latest research, Mishra explains how leadership pathways themselves are gendered, often limiting women to narrower routes to advancement while exposing them to backlash for behaviors that are rewarded in men. She also examines the difference between power and status, why women’s gains in authority can trigger resistance, and how data-driven decision making and exposure to new leadership models can help organizations build more equitable systems.
Research papers discussed:
Psychological drivers of gender disparities in leadership paths
What Is Mine Cannot Be Yours: How Zero-Sum Perceptions of Power and Status Shape Men’s Perceptions of Ingroup Harm From Women’s Hierarchical Advancement
