Understanding the Gender Performance Gap among Star Performers in STEM Fields

非技术描述本项目的主要目标是了解明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结果比其他从事相同工作或职位的人高出许多倍的人。在阻碍女性发展方面，明星之间的性别差距比普通演员中的性别差距更具破坏性，因为明星是其他人的导师和榜样。此外，旨在缩小明星表现者之间表现性别差距的干预措施，可能会渗透到表现分布较低的人身上。我们目前不知道男女明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导致这些差异的不同生成机制以及组织和背景因素。拟议的研究议程使用最初在其他领域(如物理学、动物学、生物学、计算机科学)开发的概念框架和方法工具来调查STEM领域男女明星表演者的分布情况。将进行三项研究，包括数学、材料科学和遗传学领域的明星研究人员。这一三项研究议程将对有关组织科学和扩大参与科学的科学文献作出多方面的贡献。这些调查结果将被用来帮助宣传和鼓励扩大STEM领域总体参与的方式，以及促进妇女职业生涯的方式。此外，由于将产生测量分布形状的脚本和程序，该项目的发现将为未来研究其他行业和职业中男性和女性的表现分布形状铺平道路。技术描述明星表演者是那些产出和结果比其他从事相同工作或职位的其他人高出许多倍的人。恒星的存在否定了长期以来的假设，即个人表现服从正态分布。该项目提出了一项研究计划，涉及三项研究，其目标是了解明星表演者之间潜在的性别表现差距。这些研究将使用一种方法论方法，这种方法在组织科学研究中是新颖的，但已被用于物理学领域。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最适合的模型：(A)正态分布、(A)指数分布、(C)对数正态分布、(D)纯幂定律、(E)具有指数截止点的幂定律、(F)威布尔和(G)泊松。将使用客观的业绩衡量标准(即在STEM领域的科学期刊上发表的论文数量)。明星表演者尤其引人注目，也特别有影响力。因此，了解男女明星表演者的分布差异，并将这些差异与产生这些差异的潜在生殖因素联系起来，将为我们提供重要的见解，了解基于性别的差异是如何以及为什么出现的。利用组织学以外领域开发的理论框架和方法工具进行的三项研究议程的结果，将使人们能够对影响男女明星表演者在STEM领域的表现的因素有独特的见解。预期结果包括基于理论的对男女明星表演者每种类型分配相关的生成机制的理解，以及负责产生女性和男性明星表演者的不同机制。结果还将包括新的方法工具，以促进未来在其他行业和绩效领域的研究。

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.