Private Sector Trajectories for Women in the U.S. and Denmark: Welfare State vs. Corporate Diversity Programs

In recent years attracting and retaining female managerial talent has become a key focus for corporations. Institutional investors increasingly demand that corporations demonstrate a commitment to gender diversity while women’s groups, such as Catalyst, lobby in favor of more female managers. Governments have also labored to take greater advantage of female talents and skills, both through awareness-raising programs and through new legislation. While there has been much progress when it comes to women reaching high level positions in the private sector, women are still in the minority in top level management. However, female corporate career advancement also varies substantially across OECD countries and explaining national differences is the key focus of this research project.