Understanding the Gender Performance Gap among Star Performers in STEM Fields

非技术性说明本项目的主要目标是了解星星表演者之间潜在的性别表现差距，明星表演者是那些产出和成果比从事相同工作或职位的其他人大很多倍的个人。星星之间的性别差距在阻碍妇女进步方面比普通演员之间的性别差距更具破坏性，因为明星是他人的导师和榜样。此外，旨在缩小星星业绩性别差距的干预措施可能会渗透到业绩分布较低的人。我们目前不知道女性和男性星星表演者的分布是否不同，这是一个关键的知识差距，因为这种差异将表明不同的生成机制和组织和环境因素，导致这些差异。拟议的研究议程使用了最初在其他领域开发的概念框架和方法工具（例如，物理学、动物学、生物学、计算机科学），以调查STEM领域女性和男性星星表演者的分布形状。将进行三项研究，包括数学、材料科学和遗传学领域的星星研究人员。这三项研究的研究议程将对有关组织学和扩大参与学的科学文献作出多方面的贡献。调查结果将用于帮助提供信息和激励如何扩大STEM领域的参与，以及如何促进妇女的职业生涯。此外，由于将制作脚本和程序来测量分布的形状，该项目的结果将为今后研究其他行业和职业中男女绩效分布的形状铺平道路。技术说明明星绩效人员是指那些产出和成果比从事相同工作或职位的其他人高出许多倍的人。明星的出现否定了长期以来的个人表现服从正态分布的假设。该项目提出了一个研究方案，涉及三项研究，其目标是了解星星表演者之间潜在的性别表现差距。这些研究将使用一种在组织研究科学中新颖的方法论，但已用于物理学领域。分析的第一步将包括为每个基于性别的分布确定以下理论分布中的最佳拟合模型：（a）正态分布，（a）指数分布，（c）对数正态分布，（d）纯幂律分布，（e）指数截止的幂律分布，（f）威布尔分布，以及（g）泊松分布。业绩的客观衡量（即，将使用在STEM领域的科学期刊上发表的文章数量）。星星表演者特别引人注目，影响力也很大。因此，了解女性和男性星星表演者分布的差异，并将这些差异与产生这些差异的潜在生成因素联系起来，将为了解基于性别的差异是如何以及为什么出现的提供重要见解。从三项研究的研究议程中使用的理论框架和方法工具，在组织科学以外的领域开发的结果将允许获得独特的见解，影响女性和男性星星表演者在STEM领域的表现的因素。预期成果包括基于理论的理解与每种类型的分布为女性和男性星星表演者和差异机制负责生产女性和男性星星表演者。结果还将包括新的方法工具，以促进其他行业和性能领域的未来研究。

Non-technical DescriptionThe primary objective of this project is to understand the potential gender performance gap among star performers, who are those individuals who produce output and results many times greater than the rest of the individuals holding the same job or position. A gender gap among star performers is more damaging in terms of precluding the advancement of women than a gender gap regarding average performers because stars are mentors and role models for others. Moreover, interventions aimed at reducing the performance gender gap among star performers are likely to trickle down to those lower in the performance distribution. We currently do not know whether the distributions of female and male star performers differ, which is a critical knowledge gap because such differences would be indicative of different generative mechanisms and organizational and contextual factors that lead to those differences. The proposed research agenda uses conceptual frameworks and methodological tools originally developed in other fields (e.g., physics, zoology, biology, computer science) to investigate the shape of the distribution of female and male star performers in STEM fields. Three studies will be conducted, including star researchers who are in the fields of Mathematics, Material Sciences, and Genetics. This three-study research agenda will make manifold contributions to the scientific literature concerning the science of organizations and the science of broadening participation. The findings will be used to help inform and stimulate ways in which participation in STEM fields can be broadened in general and ways to advance the careers of women. Moreover, because scripts and programs to measure the shape of the distributions will be produced, the findings of this project will pave the way for future research streams examining the shape of the performance distribution for women and men in other industries and occupations.Technical DescriptionStar performers are those individuals who produce output and results many times greater than the rest of the individuals holding the same job or position. The presence of stars negates the long-held assumption that individual performance follows a normal distribution. This project proposes a research program involving three studies whose goal is to understand the potential gender performance gaps among star performers. The studies will use a methodological approach that is novel in science of organizations research, but has been used in the field of physics. The first step in the analysis will include determining for each gender-based distribution the best-fit model among the following theoretical distributions: (a) normal, (a) exponential, (c) lognormal, (d) pure power law, (e) power law with exponential cutoff, (f) Weibull, and (g) Poisson. Objective measures of performance (i.e., number of articles published in scientific journals in STEM fields) will be used. Star performers are particularly visible and influential. Thus, understanding differences in the distribution of female and male star performers, and linking those differences to underlying generative factors that produce them, will offer important insights into how and why gender-based differences emerge. Findings from the three-study research agenda using theoretical frameworks and methodological tools developed in fields outside of the science of organizations will allow gaining unique insights into the factors influencing the performance of female and male star performers in STEM fields. Expected outcomes include a theory-based understanding of generative mechanisms associated with each type of distribution for female and male star performers and differential mechanisms responsible for producing female and male star performers. Results will also include new methodological tools to facilitate future research in other industries and performance domains.