NPR “All Things Considered” Interview: Fifty Years Later, A Look At How Harvard’s Women MBAs Have Fared
I was recently interviewed for “All Things Considered” on NPR, by Tess Vigeland along with Professor Robin Ely from Harvard Business School. The topic was the study she co-sponsored and wrote about for the Harvard Business Review in which thousands of HBS graduates, both women and men, responded about their careers and personal lives. The findings, somewhat surprisingly, suggest that a strong majority of the women work full time, even after having a family, and want to advance professionally. However, not surprising is that fact that they lag behind the men at each age group level other than the youngest in terms of their professional success. Some of my comments are in the link below.
I also said that society in the US does not collectively want to bear the cost, and it is definitely a cost, of providing women, during the years they have small children, with the flexibility to stay in the work force and progress. Until either companies, the government, or all spouses decide to value the career trajectory of both parents equally, there will in most cases be one parent who undertakes more of the time and energy required of childcare, and this cost is often inversely proportional to career advancement during the years of the most intense care giving.
To listen to the NPR interview or read a transcript of the dialogue, follow the link below.
