YES & NO

Episode 5: Do men and women work differently?

Episode Summary
Are there fundamental differences in the way men and women approach work? How do societal gender expectations shape roles in the workplace? How have gender-based inclusivity movements reshaped the gender gap? Kim and Steve discuss in this week’s episode of Yes & No. 
 
Kim’s Notes
CDC: The average American man will live to age 76 while the average American woman will live to age 81.
NCOA: Men 65 and older face the highest overall rate of suicide. 
Pew Research: Among those ages 65 and older, the divorce rate has roughly tripled since 1990, reaching six people per 1,000 married persons in 2015.
HBR: Women, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups  tend to be over-mentored and under-sponsored in the workplace. “Mentorship involves direct support of a protégé, while sponsorship focuses on others’ impressions of that person.”
The Quarterly Journal of Economics: Attractiveness is normally distributed on a bell curve. 
PubMed: Studies demonstrate prosocial biases in favor of attractive people in the workplace.
Richard Reeves: Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of Of Boys and Men breaks down learning loss for boys during the pandemic. 
Brookings: In-depth exploration of education gender gaps across the US. “In every U.S. state, young women are more likely than their male counterparts to have a bachelor’s degree. The education gender gap emerges well before college, however: girls are more likely to graduate high school on time and perform substantially better on standardized reading tests than boys (and about as well in math).”
Journal of Marriage and Family: Mismatches in the Marriage Market reveals large deficits in the supply of well-matched potential male spouses. 
NBER: Data from the United States Census Bureau suggests that a rise in assortative mating is impacting household income inequality.
Evie: Gen Z re-evaluation of girlboss feminism: “The idea of hustling, working long hours, and climbing the corporate ladder no longer sounds appealing to many young women. As the glory of workplace hustle faded from the zeitgeist, so did the girlboss.”
The New Yorker: Reeves looks at gender disparities between boys and girls across education and work and suggests policies designed to foster “prosocial masculinity for a postfeminist world.” Encouraging more men to become nurses and teachers, expand paid leave, and create a thousand more vocational high schools.
Forbes: Teenagers who spend more hours a day on social media have a greater risk for depression, and the connection appears to be particularly pronounced for girls.
Mary Phifer: Investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author. Her books Reviving Ophelia and recently published Women Row North explore what it means to be a woman in America today. 
Eli Finckle: Social psychology professor at Northwestern University who studies romantic relationships. Finkel provides a sweeping historic overview of marriage, showing how the primary functions of marriage have changed over time. 
Paula Fass: Historian and author of The End of American Childhood. Her work explores families, parenting, changing social norms in America. 
 
Steve’s Notes
American Psychological Association. (2014). Think again: Men and women share cognitive skills. August 1.  Review of research on psychological differences between men and women.
Catsambis, S. (2005). The Gender Gap in Mathematics: Merely a Step Function? In A. M. Gallagher & J. C. Kaufman (Eds.), Gender differences in mathematics: An integrative psychological approach (pp. 220–245). Cambridge University Press. Examination of how social conceptions related to gender identify influence mathematical performance of women vs men.
Economics Observatory.  How can we reduce gender gaps in mathematics education. Reviews research on the math gap between boys and girls and how it is influenced by socio-cultural factors.
Fredrickson, B. L., Roberts, T.-A., Noll, S. M., Quinn, D. M., & Twenge, J. M. (1998). That swimsuit becomes you: Sex differences in self-objectification, restrained eating, and math performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(1), 269–284. Study investigating how the self-concept of young women influences performance in mathematics.
Goldman, B. (2017).  Two minds: the cognitive differences between men and women. Stanford Medicine, Spring. Review of research discussing physical differences between male and female brains.
Grandey, A. A., Gabriel, A. S., & King, E. B. (2020). Tackling taboo topics: A review of the three M s in working women’s lives. Journal of Management, 46(1), 7-35. Study examining how the female physiological functions of menstruation, maternity, and menopause influence how women experience work compared to men. 
Judge, T. A., & Cable, D. M. (2004). The Effect of Physical Height on Workplace Success and Income: Preliminary Test of a Theoretical Model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(3), 428–441.  Theoretical model and empirical research demonstrating how physical attributes such as height influence job performance outcomes through affecting how people perceive themselves and  how they are perceived by others.
Levant, R. F., & Powell, W. A. (2017). The gender role strain paradigm. In R. F. Levant & Y. J. Wong (Eds.), The psychology of men and masculinities (pp. 15–43). American Psychological Association.  Discussion of research showing how ascribing to traditional masculine roles can negatively impact the mental and physical health of men.
Mazei, J., Hüffmeier, J., Freund, P. A., Stuhlmacher, A. F., Bilke, L., & Hertel, G. (2015). A meta-analysis on gender differences in negotiation outcomes and their moderators. Psychological bulletin, 141(1), 85. Study examining how gender interacts with environmental issues to affect the results of negotiations related to pay and other important life outcomes. 
Motro, D., & Ellis, A. P. J. (2017). Boys, don’t cry: Gender and reactions to negative performance feedback. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(2), 227–235. Study exploring how masculine stereotypes in society can adversely affect the experience of work for men compared women.
Perez, C.C. (2019). Invisible women: data bias in a world designed for men. Chatto & Lindus Publisher, London. Book exploring how women have been excluded or overlooked in research studies and other methods that influence a range of areas from automobile design to medicine.  
Stevens, A. (2018) Undoing the damage of Teen Talk Barbie. Iowa Women Lead Change Central Iowa Conference. Transcript of a presentation discussing the negative influence that the design of dolls, toys and other material designed for young girls may have on their self-identity. 
Weisberg, Y. J., DeYoung, C. G., & Hirsh, J. B. (2011). Gender differences in personality across the ten aspects of the big five. Frontiers in Psychology, 2.  Research exploring gender differences in personality traits. Note that while there are differences, the magnitude is relatively small and the personality measure used in the study relies on self-description which is influenced to some degree by societal role expectations.

Episode 4: Do young people work less hard?

Episode Summary 
Are “kids these days” working less hard than before? Are they less willing to make the sacrifices older generations did? Steve and Kim discuss the data and theory behind one of the most prominent workplace debates on this episode of Yes & No.
Show Notes
Kim’s Notes
Paul Fairie: A brief history of “nobody wants to work” 
NCES: Percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college, by level of institution and sex and race/ethnicity of student: 1970 through 2016. 
NBER: Rates of absolute income mobility have fallen from approximately 90% for children born in 1940 to 50% for children born in the 1980s. 
Pew Research: During their young adulthood, Baby Boomers had unprecedented levels of divorce. Their marital instability earlier in life is contributing to the rising divorce rate among adults ages 50 and older today, since remarriages tend to be less stable than first marriages.
Association of Health Care Journalists: Baby boomers suffer more comorbidities than prior generations at similar ages.
Steve’s Notes
Ng, T.W., & Feldman, D.C. (2012). Evaluating Six Common Stereotypes About Older Workers with Meta‐Analytical Data. Personnel Psychology, 65, 821-858.
Review of research testing the empirical validity of common perceptions about age, attitudes, and ability.
Finkelstein, LM, Voyles, EC, Thomas, CL, & Zacher, H (2020). A Daily Diary Study of Responses to Age Meta-stereotypes, Work, Aging and Retirement, Volume 6, Issue 1, 28–45. 
Study exploring how the existence of age based stereotypes impacts people at different ages regardless of the accuracy of the stereotypes.

Episode 3: Should we bring our whole selves to work?

Episode Summary
Should people bring their whole selves to work? Kim and Steve dig into the roots and lasting impacts of the authenticity movement in the workplace on this episode of Yes & No.
Show Notes
Kim’s Notes
 
Elsevier Journal: Being authentic in the workplace promotes overall well-being and satisfaction. A meta-analysis of authenticity, well-being, and engagement. 
Academy of Management: Empirical review of research and data relating to studies of authenticity in the workplace. 
FL Law Review: Narrow definitions of “professionalism” are based on white male standards and conforming to these expectations can be damaging for employees of color, women, LGBTQ people, etc. 
Forbes: Lack of cultural openness, adherence to white-dominant norms, and Americanized definitions of “professionalism” prevent many people from showing up authentically at work.
Lindsay Pollack: “People can be professional in many different ways, and it doesn’t have to look like a certain type of person.” New York Times bestselling author and speaker.
Steve’s Notes
Chawla, N., Gabriel, A. S., Rosen, C. C., Evans, J. B., Koopman, J., Hochwarter, W. A., Palmer, J. C., & Jordan, S. L. (2021). A person‐centered view of impression management, inauthenticity, and employee behavior. Personnel Psychology, 74(4), 657–691.
Study examining the consequences, largely negative, of being in a job where people feel they must actively hide their inner feelings and true self.
Jones, K. P., Peddie, C. I., Gilrane, V. L., King, E. B., & Gray, A. L. (2016). Not so subtle: A meta-analytic investigation of the correlates of subtle and overt discrimination. Journal of Management, 42(6), 1588–1613.
Review examining the pervasive and negative impact of implicit or subtle discrimination at work.
Ebrahimi, M, Kouchaki, M, & Patrick, VM (2020). Juggling work and home selves: Low identity integration feels less authentic and increases unethicality. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Volume 158,101-111.
Study examining the impact, mostly negative of working in jobs that increase people’s feelings of inauthenticity.
Stergiou-Kita, M., Pritlove, C., & Kirsh, B. (2016). The “Big C” — Stigma, cancer, and workplace discrimination. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 10(6), 1035–1050.
Examination of perceived and implicit biases toward employees who have survived cancer.

Episode 2: Should companies be political?

Episode Summary
Should companies be involved in politics? What issues (moral, economic, or otherwise) should they take? Does politicalization impact their bottom line? How should they navigate the ever changing landscape of what's deemed "political" in the US today? Kim and Steve dig into these questions and more on this episode of Yes & No. 
 
Show Notes
Kim’s Notes
Business Roundtable Decision: Changed purpose of organization from “maximize shareholder return” to “maximize return, deliver value to employees and customers, and support communities in which they operate” 
 
NBER: Tracks the polarization of American executive teams. Between 2009-2020 executive teams became increasingly politically homogeneous–a lot of political actions have been pushed by the C-suite teams themselves, not employees.
 
The Big Sort: Startling demographic data showing how Americans have been sorting themselves over the past three decades into increasingly homogeneous communities–not just at the regional level, or the red-state/blue-state level, but at the micro level of city and neighborhood. 
 
Leslie Cornfeld: “Talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not. Our mission is to help change that.” 1985 graduate of Harvard Law, and founder and C.E.O. of the nonprofit National Education Equity Lab. 
 
Steve’s Notes
Hydock, C., Paharia, N., & Blair, S. (2020). Should Your Brand Pick a Side? How Market Share Determines the Impact of Corporate Political Advocacy. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(6), 1135–1151. Research suggesting taking a political stance on controversial topics creates greater risk for large companies but may help small companies grow market share.
 
Mueller, K., Hattrup, K., Spiess, S.-O., & Lin-Hi, N. (2012). The effects of corporate social responsibility on employees' affective commitment: A cross-cultural investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(6), 1186–1200. Study that found that company’s social activities do influence employee commitment, but the nature of the impact varies across cultures.

Episode 1: Do generations matter?

Episode Summary
Do generational differences impact how we approach life and work? Are they a useful lens to better understand ourselves and others? Or are they labels that further engrain bias, ageism, and misunderstandings? Kim and Steve dig into both sides on this week's episode of Yes & No.
 
Show Notes
Kim’s Notes
WaPo: No, creativity doesn’t decline with age. 
 
Gallup: Millennials were found to be 3x more likely to have changed jobs in the last year than other generations (2016). 
 
Generations: Sociological theory by William Strauss and Neil Howe. Backbone of modern generational theory.  
 
Steve’s Notes
 
Brandt, N. D., Drewelies, J., Willis, S. L., Schaie, K. W., Ram, N., Gerstorf, D., & Wagner, J. (2022). Acting like a baby boomer? Birth-cohort differences in adults’ personality trajectories during the last half a century. Psychological Science. Study that found that personality traits differ somewhat across generations and that differences are likely due to socio-cultural influences as opposed to innate changes. 
 
Costanza, D. P., Badger, J. M., Fraser, R. L., Severt, J. B., & Gade, P. A. (2012). Generational differences in work-related attitudes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Business and Psychology, 27, 375– 394. Study examining generational differences in job attitudes related to job satisfaction, commitment and turnover that found that “relationships between generational membership and work-related outcomes are moderate to small, essentially zero in many cases.”
 
Deal, J. (2006).  Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground. Wiley, New York. Book based on an empirical study and literature review that suggests relatively few significant differences exist between generations related to work attitudes, and many perceived differences are rooted in misunderstanding, poor communication, and struggle for power and status between generations.
 
Lyons, S., & Kuron, L. (2014). Generational differences in the workplace: A review of the evidence and directions for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35, 139–157. Review highlighting the methodological flaws associated with many generational research studies that concluded with the recommendation that people take a more “critical approach to the interpretation and reporting of [generational difference] findings and not to ‘fan the flames’ by perpetuating unfounded stereotypes”
 
Michael J. Urick, Elaine C. Hollensbe, Suzanne S. Masterson, Sean T. Lyons, Understanding and Managing Intergenerational Conflict: An Examination of Influences and Strategies, Work, Aging and Retirement, Volume 3, Issue 2, 1 April 2017, 166–185.  Study exploring how intergenerational perceptions and biases toward other generations can create workplace conflict.
 
Trahan, L. H., Stuebing, K. K., Fletcher, J. M., & Hiscock, M. (2014). The Flynn effect: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 140(5), 1332–1360. Study that found that intelligence levels tend to increase slightly over time with each generation scoring a few points higher on IQ than their predecessor.
 
Truxillo, D. M., Cadiz, D. M., & Hammer, L. B. (2015). Supporting the aging workforce: A review and recommendations for workplace intervention research. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2, 351–381. Review of research studying how work attitudes and experiences change with age. It is interesting to contrast this to supposed generational differences and ask whether differences are due to the year people were born (their generation), or the time that has passed since they were born (their age). 
 
Xander D. Lub, P. Matthijs Bal, Robert J. Blomme & René Schalk (2016) One job, one deal…or not: do generations respond differently to psychological contract fulfillment?, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27:6. Study that found slight differences in job expectations across generations that may be due to differences in career stages.