Empowering Change Agents
The Lab's research on Empowering Change Agents consists of two research projects, each of which focuses on how gender inequality is understood and, in particular, how this relates to women’s experiences navigating critical life course and leadership transitions: Seeds of Change and Voice and Influence Circles. This work aims to uncover insights that will enable us to better create transformative and empowering educational experiences, such that women are not only achieving and persisting, but are also contributing to the creation of more inclusive organizations and institutions.
Seeds of Change
Seeds of Change is a sociologically-informed leadership development program designed to address barriers to women’s advancement in STEM and beyond. The program’s curriculum is grounded in research about predictors of persistence and advancement and how gender inequality manifests in leadership development and opportunities. The program's goal is to develop age- and stage-appropriate awareness, skills and resources that will support girls and young women as they navigate critical transitions in school and in their careers.
In addition to being a leadership development program. Seeds of Change is also a research-impact project, and the research associated with the program is at the intersection of leadership development, gender bias, and social change. This research contributes to both scholarly and applied understandings of barriers to advancement for young women and girls as well as how leadership development can be supported and sustained for young women and girls.
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Voice and Influence Circles
Women contend with both explicit and implicit forms of gender bias on the job, making it difficult to attain leadership positions. Scholars have pointed out that certain kinds of women’s leadership development programs can play a critical role in pushing for gender equity inside organizations since they have the potential to change not only individual actions but to also address larger systemic issues. This research investigates the results of a three-year peer cohort based women’s empowerment program. Our analysis focuses on the ways in which increased awareness of gender dynamics occur, how awareness translates into action, and where both awareness and change remain limited.