Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics and International Business at New York University's Stern School of Business | New York University's Stern School of Business
Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics and International Business at New York University's Stern School of Business | New York University's Stern School of Business
Vice President Kamala Harris's defeat in the 2024 presidential election has brought attention to the persistent gender gap in leadership roles across various sectors. This issue is recognized by many Americans, yet it continues to exist. A recent study by psychology researchers sought to understand whether changing the way this gender gap is framed could influence public perception and action.
The research focused on whether presenting the gap as "men’s overrepresentation" instead of "women’s underrepresentation" would affect how people perceive and react to it. The findings revealed that framing the issue as men’s overrepresentation in political leadership generated more anger among women, making them view the disparity as unjust and motivating them to take action.
Emily Balcetis, an associate professor of psychology at New York University and one of the study's authors, noted, “While most Americans acknowledge that gender diversity in leadership is important, framing the gender gap as women’s underrepresentation may desensitize the public.”
However, the impact of this reframing did not extend to business leadership for either gender, nor did it increase anger among men about the disparity.
Rachel Godsil from Rutgers Law School emphasized, “Our society benefits when we have women as well as men as leaders in politics and business.”
The methodology involved participants reading mock news articles with different framings of real-world data on gender gaps. The study measured responses such as expressed anger and willingness to support legislation like the Women’s Global Empowerment Act of 2020.
Results showed that women expressed more anger at political disparities when framed as men’s overrepresentation but not for business contexts. This anger was linked to actions like writing letters supporting legislative change and donating to programs addressing gender bias.
Usman Liaquat, a lead author from NYU now at Cornell University, concluded that framing influences women's views on this issue and prompts them to act against it.
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