Dear ENT Friends,
Why are there so few female star performers compared to males? Our open-access Journal of Organizational Behavior article provides answers to this important question (feel free to download it at https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2858):
1️⃣ Gender Bias in Stardom Prototypes: The notion of "Think Star, Think Men" creates implicit biases, making it harder for women to be recognized as star performers. These prototypes are deeply embedded in organizational cultures and perpetuate gender inequity.
2️⃣ Insulation Cycles Hinder Female Advancement: Performance barriers—like limited mentoring and reduced access to high-potential tasks—compound over time for women. These "insulation cycles" often prevent women from achieving star status, despite their capabilities.
3️⃣ Impact of Caregiving and Time Constraints: Women face disproportionate caregiving responsibilities, which reduce their ability to engage in time-intensive development activities. Both objective and perceived time conflicts impact their career trajectories.
4️⃣ Strategic Diversity Goals Mitigate Barriers: Organizations with explicit diversity strategies can help level the playing field for female star contenders. Countering systemic biases, such goals provide critical support in the initial stages of star emergence.
5️⃣ Influential Sponsorship Matters: In later stages, access to powerful sponsors can significantly reduce gender-based disadvantages. Sponsors are key in promoting fairness, reducing interpersonal biases, and advocating for female talent.
Get the open-access article: Bear, J. B., Treviño, L. J., & Aguinis, H. 2025. A star is born or not: Understanding the star emergence gender gap. Journal of Organizational Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2858
Listen to a user-friendly deep dive podcast summarizing this articlehttps://youtu.be/TnjF-aM5xsE
I hope you will find this useful, and I look forward to reading reactions and comments!
All the best,
--Herman.
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Herman Aguinis, Ph.D.
Avram Tucker Distinguished Scholar & Professor of Management
The George Washington University School of Business
Washington, DC
https://hermanaguinis.com/------------------------------