From:
Columbia Business School’s Professor Mabel Abraham spoke with Forbes contributor Kim Elsesser about persistent gender disparities in leadership opportunities and why women often feel less confident aiming for higher-level roles. Drawing on her research—including her recent paper Gender Differences in Climbing up the Ladder: Why Experience Closes the Ambition Gender Gap—Abraham explained that the issue is not about women lacking ambition, but about unequal access to the formative experiences that build readiness and self-efficacy. She emphasized that organizations should focus on expanding developmental opportunities and reducing structural barriers, rather than placing the burden of “fixing confidence” on individual women.
