Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work - Hardcover

by Colleen Ammerman (Author), Boris Groysberg (Author)

Why the gender gap persists and how we can close it.

For years women have made up the majority of college-educated workers in the United States. In 2019, the gap between the percentage of women and the percentage of men in the workforce was the smallest on record. But despite these statistics, women remain underrepresented in positions of power and status, with the highest-paying jobs the most gender-imbalanced. Even in fields where the numbers of men and women are roughly equal, or where women actually make up the majority, leadership ranks remain male-dominated.

The persistence of these inequalities begs the question: Why haven't we made more progress?

In Glass Half-Broken, Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg reveal the pervasive organizational obstacles and managerial actions—limited opportunities for development, lack of role models and sponsors, and bias in hiring, compensation, and promotion—that create gender imbalances. Bringing to light the key findings from the latest research in psychology, sociology, organizational behavior, and economics, Ammerman and Groysberg show that throughout their careers—from entry-level to mid-level to senior-level positions—women get pushed out of the leadership pipeline, each time for different reasons. Presenting organizational and managerial strategies designed to weaken and ultimately break down these barriers, Glass Half-Broken is the authoritative resource that managers and leaders at all levels can use to finally shatter the glass ceiling.

Author Biography

Colleen Ammerman is Director of the Harvard Business School Gender Initiative, which catalyzes and translates cutting-edge research to transform practice, enable leaders to drive change, and eradicate gender, race, and other forms of inequality in business and society. She has authored various articles and teaching materials on gender and work and is a researcher with Life and Leadership After HBS, a longitudinal study of the post-MBA paths of Harvard Business School alumni that examines how race, gender, and other factors shape their life and career experiences.

Boris Groysberg is the Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and a faculty affiliate at the Gender Initiative. He has won numerous awards for his research, which focuses on the challenge of managing human capital in small and large organizations across the world. Groysberg is the author of the award-winning book Chasing Stars: The Myth of Talent and the Portability of Performance and the coauthor of Talk, Inc.: How Trusted Leaders Use Conversation to Power Their Organizations. A frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, he has written more than a hundred articles, notes, and case studies on how firms hire, engage, develop, retain, and communicate with diverse talent to create inclusive cultures.

You can find Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg on Twitter @colleenammerman, @bgroysberg, @HBSgender, and hbs.edu/gender.