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Gender differences in speed of advancement: An empirical examination of top executives in the Fortune 100 firms

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  • Rocio Bonet
  • Peter Cappelli
  • Monika Hamori

Abstract

Research summary We examine the advancement of women in executive roles in the ranks of the 10 highest executive positions in the Fortune 100 companies in 2001 and 2011. We find that women executives secured top executive positions faster than men, controlling for relevant individual attributes, and that the advantage of women with respect to men grew with the number of years they spent in the organization. The female advantage disappeared once companies had more than one high‐ranking female executive. We make use of several tests to assess possible unobserved differences between men and women executives, including the case–control technique from epidemiology. Our results are consistent with institutional pressures accelerating women's advancement to top executive positions, but they also reveal the limited effectiveness of such pressures. Managerial summary Employers interested in increasing the diversity of their executive ranks should pay attention not only to who is in those jobs but also how long it took them to get there. In our study, women in top jobs got there faster not just because they were better but because they moved through previous positions faster and skipped steps in job ladders. This suggests how diversity at the top can be enhanced without having to wait for more diverse cohorts in lower‐level jobs to slowly advance. The fact that faster advancement slowed once there were a few women in top jobs suggests that support for advancement was indeed a company choice, unfortunately one driven by public appearances.

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  • Rocio Bonet & Peter Cappelli & Monika Hamori, 2020. "Gender differences in speed of advancement: An empirical examination of top executives in the Fortune 100 firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(4), pages 708-737, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:41:y:2020:i:4:p:708-737
    DOI: 10.1002/smj.3125
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    3. Eline Schoonjans & Hanna Hottenrott & Achim Buchwald, 2024. "Welcome on Board? Appointment Dynamics of Women as Directors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 192(3), pages 561-589, July.
    4. Giovanna Campopiano & Patricia Gabaldón & Daniela Gimenez-Jimenez, 2023. "Women Directors and Corporate Social Performance: An Integrative Review of the Literature and a Future Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(3), pages 717-746, January.

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