Kim Elsesser

Research Shows Women Need Confidence To Advance—Here’s How To Get It Women’s representation at the top of business and politics remains stubbornly low. New research may help explain why and what women and organizations can do about it.

Why are so few women in the top jobs?
A new study finds women tend to wait for more experience before going for leadership roles—while men go for it sooner.
Here’s how to close that confidence gap- via @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Japan Just Elected A Woman Leader—Here’s Why The U.S. Still Hasn’t Sanae Takaichi became Japan’s first female prime minister today. That leaves the U.S. as one of only four G20 countries that have never been led by a woman.

Japan just elected their first female PM—Now, only 4 G20 countries never had a female leader (The U.S., China, Russia and Saudi Arabia) @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

A Woman Will Lead The Church Of England Breaking Stained-Glass Ceiling For the first time in its 1400-year history, the Church of England will be led by a woman. Here's why it's so hard for women to obtain leadership roles in religion.

Historic first: Sarah Mullally becomes the 1st female Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England’s 1400-year history.
Breaking the “stained-glass ceiling,” her appointment signals to women & girls that the pulpit is a place they belong. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Nearly Half Of California’s AI Startups Still Have All-Male Boards A new study indicates that the power to steer the future of AI still remains predominantly in the hands of men.

Women comprised only 15% of the board members in CA-based private AI companies, and 43% of these companies had all-male boards. For the smaller private AI companies (between $50 and $100 million in funding), a whopping 62% had all-male boards! www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Despite Emmy Wins, New Study Reveals Age Bias Against Women Persists At this week’s Emmys, women over 50 dominated. But a new study reveals that these actors are exceptions and that roles for women over 40 years old remain scarce.

At the Emmys, women over 50 stole the spotlight.
But a new study shows they’re the outliers: roles for women over 40 are still scarce, while men thrive well into their 60s.
www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Nestlé CEO Joins Growing List Of Executives Ousted Over Office Affairs Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe joins a long list of CEOs who have been fired due to workplace relationships. Is it time for a new approach to workplace romance?

Is it time to rethink how we deal with office romance? @Forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce And The Career Perks Of The Right Partner Taylor Swift appeared on Travis Kelce’s podcast, offering a glimpse into this career-driven couple. Here's how their relationship may impact their careers.

Research says finding the right partner can boost your career - here's why: @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

MLB’s First Female Umpire Faces Skepticism Before She Even Steps On The Field Umpire Jen Pawol is breaking a gender barrier, but critics are speaking out before she’s even stepped on the field. Here's what she can expect going forward.

It's 2025 and we're not even ready for a female umpire? "RIP Baseball" one fan wrote on X. Others said Pawol was a DEI hire and predicted a big screwup on her part. @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Uber To Let Female Passengers And Drivers Opt For Women-Only Rides Facing litigation from riders who claim they were sexually assaulted, Uber is allowing female drivers and passengers to choose to ride with other women.

Facing litigation from riders who claim they were sexually assaulted, Uber is allowing female drivers and passengers to choose to ride with other women.
www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

‘Coldplaygate’ And Why Romance Thrives At Work, Despite Policies Despite the interest in Coldplaygate, office relationships are incredibly common, and the workplace is one of the most frequent settings for extramarital affairs.

Office romances are incredibly common, and the workplace is one of the most frequent settings for extramarital affairs—here's why.
via @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Study: For 60 Years, Kids' TV Cast Boys As Doers And Girls As Passive New research reveals that the language in kid’s TV is reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes, and that little has changed in 60 years.  In some cases, it’s getting worse.

New study looked at kids' programs from 1960-2018. Found:
1) Boys were "doers", girls were passive -no change since '60
2) Boys were associated more than girls with agency (striving to act and reach goals) and this has gotten stronger over time.
@forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

X CEO Steps Down: Did Yaccarino Fall Off The Glass Cliff? Linda Yaccarino stepped down as CEO of X today. Many thought she was on a glass cliff, but is there really a glass cliff for female CEOs?

Linda Yaccarino stepped down as CEO of X today. Many thought she was on a glass cliff, but is there really a glass cliff for female CEOs? Here's what research says...
@forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Being Too Helpful At Work Can Hurt Your Career—Here’s How To Say No Women are more likely to take on behind-the-scenes duties at work—extra tasks like onboarding or event planning—and it's hurting their careers. Here's how to say no.

Women are twice as likely as men to volunteer for "undesirable tasks." The problem is that it leaves less time for their primary jobs, potentially hurting their careers. Here's how to say no: @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

First Women’s Professional Baseball League In 70 Years Announces Tryouts For the first time in decades, women will have the chance to try out for a professional baseball team—in the new Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL).

Finally, baseball for women. Professional women’s leagues already exist in soccer (NWSL), basketball (WNBA), tackle football (WFA), ice hockey (PWHL), and rugby (WER), all sports arguably more physically aggressive than baseball.
www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

We Need To Rethink How We Recommend Women On LinkedIn, Study Says A new study of recommendations on LinkedIn profiles finds women are seen as detail-driven, while men are more big-picture thinkers.

A new study of recommendations on LinkedIn profiles finds women are seen as detail-driven, while men are more big-picture thinkers—even after controlling for occupation and industry. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Fixing AI’s Gender Bias Isn’t Just Ethical—It’s Good Business AI tools are amplifying gender biases from the real world. The consequences have implications, not just for gender equity, but also for companies’ bottom lines.

Ever thought about why virtual AI assistants like Siri and Alexa default to female voices? @forbes.com www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

How NASCAR Driver Katherine Legge Manages Death Threats And Competing In A Man’s World Katherine Legge will be the only woman in her NASCAR race this weekend—and she's getting death threats. Here's her advice for thriving in a male-dominated environment.

Katherine Legge holds the fastest female qualifying time for Indy500. Now she's getting death threats for returning to NASCAR. Here's how she deals with that and being a woman in racing @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

The Take It Down Act was signed Monday to force platforms to take down deepfake nudes, revenge porn, etc. Building on momentum, the DEFIANCE Act was reintroduced today to allow victims to sue those who created/shared the explicit images. @aoc.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Few Women Reach CEO, But Those Who Do May Be More Qualified, Report Says A new analysis reveals that women who become CEOs are not only qualified but may be more experienced than their male peers.

This new report refutes the idea that women who are promoted to CEO got there because of DEI preference and not merit. They found that female CEOs have more senior leadership experience than their male peers. @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

New ‘Take It Down’ Law Will Protect Against Deepfake Nudes While the focus of the new bill has centered on protecting young people, the law will also protect professional women who are increasingly being targeted.

The new bill, signed today, forces platforms to take down deepfake nudes within 48 hours and creates punishments for those who share them. Women professionals have increasingly become targets—hopefully, this will help
@forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Women Who Outearn Husbands Face Higher Marital Strain, Study Says New research shows marriages can suffer when women outearn husbands, indicating that outdated beliefs about who should be the provider remain deeply rooted.

New research shows marriages can suffer when women outearn husbands— sadly, the results show outdated beliefs about who should be the provider (in straight marriages) are still going strong. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

On being called DEI and why it isn’t the burn they think it is

Bonobos And Women Benefit From Female Alliances, New Studies Say Two new studies—one focused on bonobos, the other on professional women—underscore how female alliances can be game-changers.

Two new studies—one focused on bonobos, and one on women at work—underscore how female alliances can be game-changers. The takeaway: Whether in the rainforest or the boardroom, when females band together, they are better equipped to challenge dominance.
www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Men Get More Patent Credit Than Women, Even For The Same Idea A new study finds that scientific papers authored by women are cited less often in patented inventions than those by men. Here's the reason and why it matters.

Papers by women are cited less in patents. To explore why, researchers had participants read a research abstract, telling half it was by a man and half by a woman. Those who thought the author was male rated the science as more important and read longer www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Bias Against Expectant Dads Can Impact Moms’ Careers, Study Says New research sheds light on discrimination targeting expectant fathers. And the study shows that when dad faces discrimination it can impact mom's career.

New research examines discrimination against expectant fathers. The study finds that the more workplace discrimination an expectant father perceives, the more likely the mother is to exit the workforce or switch jobs. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

This One Message Makes Women More Likely To Compete For Top Jobs Studies show women are less likely to compete for jobs and promotions. However, simply informing women about this gender gap increases their willingness to compete.

Women are significantly less likely to compete at work—whether applying for executive roles, asking for promotions, or negotiating higher pay. New research reveals that simply informing women of this gender gap boosts their willingness to compete.
www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Billie Jean King Gets Walk Of Fame Star, Continues Fight For Equality While her tennis career may have ended, King has remained at the forefront of the fight for equity, championing women in sports and corporate leadership.

Billie Jean King got a star on the Walk Of Fame today - and afterward, I got to talk to her about her thoughts on women's professional sports, women in the boardroom, and why athletes make great business leaders.
www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Indeed: Remote Jobs Fall By 20% As Gender Pay Gap Remains Stagnant New Indeed report: while more employers are posting salaries in job listings—a plus for women—remote work opportunities are dwindling, a shift that could set women back.

Indeed examined job listings for factors that impact the pay gap.
Good news: 60% of job listings contained salary information, up from just 18% in 2020.
Bad news: Remote work opportunities are dwindling, down 20% from their pandemic peak.
www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Ad Spending On Women’s Sports Doubled In 2024—Will Athlete Pay Follow? Ad spending on women’s sports surged in 2024, more than doubling from the previous year, according to a new report from TV marketing firm EDO.

Ad spending on women’s sports surged in 2024, more than doubling from the previous year, according to a new report from TV marketing firm EDO. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Parents Spend More Time Practicing Math With Sons Than Daughters A new study suggests that parents engage more frequently in math activities with young boys than girls—even though the parents think math is equally important for girls.

A new study suggests that parents engage more frequently in math activities with young boys than girls—even though the parents think math is equally important for girls. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...