New York Times, September 24, 2013, Tuesday

New York Times

September 24, 2013, Tuesday

New York Times (full article)

To Address Gender Gap, Is It Enough to Lean In?

Consider how the labor supply of American women has failed to keep up with those of other advanced nations. In a study released earlier this year, Francine D. Blau and Lawrence M. Kahn of Cornell University concluded that almost a third of the difference was because of the absence of family-friendly policies common in other rich nations, like mandatory maternity leave.

Professors Blau and Kahn also noted, however, that these policies could backfire, encouraging “women who would have otherwise had a stronger labor force commitment to take part-time jobs or lower-level positions.” They could encourage employer discrimination and “leave women less likely to be considered for high-level positions.”