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Research

This library of research and resources on women's leadership and empowerment assembles knowledge from many sources around the world.

International Research Organizations

Inter-Parliamentary Union
IPU is the focal point for worldwide parliamentary dialogue. Its online resources include an extensive "Women in Politics" bibliographic references database.

Pew Research Global Attitudes Project
The highly regarded Pew Research Center collects information on global attitudes toward important matters, with studies such as the 2007 poll "How the World Rates Women as Leaders."

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics and Indicators on Women and Men, 2010
This UN website collects the latest statistics and indicators on women and men in six specific fields: population, education, work, women and men in families, political decision-making, and health. One statistical analysis lists the percentage of female representations in parliamentary seats around the globe.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Global Education Digest, 2011, Comparing Education Statistics Across the World
According to this 2011 UNESCO report on secondary education, the gross enrollment ratio of girls increased significantly in 1999-2009 but with significant gaps in Arab states and in sub-Saharan Africa. Other statistics and analyses of global secondary educational issues are discussed at length.

World Bank World dataBank
The World Bank Gender Statistics database is updated quarterly with information on a wide range of subjects, including demographics, education, health, labor force, and political participation. Excel and CSV files of the information are available to download.

World Economic Forum
The frequently updated WEF website includes the latest reports on subjects such as the effects of direct foreign investment, strategic infrastructure in Africa, and summaries of recent WEF events.

World Economic Forum - Global Gender Gap Report 2013

This report, released in October 2013, analyzes the gaps in educational attainment, healthcare and life expectancy, political advancement, and economic opportunity. Countries are ranked in individual categories and overall.

Multinational Corporations

Bain & Company
Bain & Company publishes many articles relating to women and leadership. Examples include "What Stops Women from Reaching the Top?" about the dearth of female executives in Australian companies, and "Lessons from Female Leaders in Professional Service Firms," a field where women make up 40 percent of employees.

Deloitte
Deloitte publishes a recurring study entitled "Women in the Boardroom: A Global Perspective," which addresses research on the effectiveness of gender quotas, the increase in direct shareholder involvement, and other issues.

Grant Thornton International Business Report
In 2013 women hold 24 percent of senior management roles globally; in China, women hold 51 percent of those positions. These facts and others are found in the IBR report entitled "Women in Senior Management: Setting the Stage for Growth."

McKinsey & Company
Since 2007, McKinsey's Women Matter research has explored the role women play in the global workspace, their experiences and impact in senior-executive roles, and the performance benefits that companies gain from gender diversity.

McKinsey Quarterly
The Insights & Publications site produces video interviews, articles, surveys, and reports about the changing business world, such as "Lessons from the Leading Edge of Gender Diversity" and "Five Routes to More Innovative Problem Solving."

China Research and Advocacy Organizations

All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF)
This mobilizing organization regularly posts updated information and news stories about the life of women in China in political, cultural, and social spheres.

China Labour Bulletin
CLB highlights employment discrimination in China, with a special section on gender discrimination including analysis of the effects of gender quotas and sexual harassment.

Gender Study Network
This database of interdisciplinary scholarly articles written in Mandarin and English focuses on gender-related topics. Examples include "China's Educated Women: Their Role-taking v. Confucianism" and "The Subsistence and Development Conditions of Women in Perspective of Son Preference at Birth."

National Board of Statistics
Official statistical reports in English and Mandarin are posted here, ranging from a survey of average food prices in 50 Chinese cities to the total volume of postal and telecommunications services.

Women’s Studies Institute of China
Recent studies, news articles, and scholarly analysis are posted on the Women's Studies Institute of China English-language website, which is updated throughout the week. There is a special focus on academic news.

China Media Resources

China Daily
Newspaper China Daily is a major source of both Chinese and global affairs coverage written in English.

South China Morning Post
This English-language Chinese newspaper is based in Hong Kong and reports on news in both China and abroad.

Women of China
This magazine has the motto: "Introducing Chinese women to the world, helping Chinese women go global!" Recurring features include interviews with major cultural figures, spotlights on education, and editorials."

United States Research & Advocacy Organizations

Catalyst
This well-respected nonprofit organization regularly posts original studies, reports, and analysis relating to women and work around the world on its website, blogs, and Knowledge Center. Recent posts include "Working Flexibly: Walking the Walk, Not Just Talking the Talk" and the list of women CEOs in the Fortune 1000.

Center for American Women and Politics (Rutgers University)
CAWP is a source of research and data on the political participation of American women. Features include statistics on the history of American women in politics, state-by-state information on women politicians, and educational resources.

Diversity Best Practices
This division of Working Mother Media is billed as "the preeminent organization for diversity thought leaders to share best practices and develop innovative solutions for culture change." Its website features research and news articles around diversity issues in the workplace.

Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Femstats.net is a project of the Institute for Women's Policy Research with the purpose of making women-centered data easily downloadable, especially with regards to political issues. Studies are available as PDFs and as Excel documents.

Political Parity
With the motto "We need 100 percent of America's talent pool," this advocacy and research organization unites those interested in promoting women in American politics. The extensive Research Inventory features a wide variety of subjects, including routes to elective office and women of color in American politics.

Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College
The Sloan Center website features recent studies and analysis from both academics and business practitioners on issues involving the 21st century multigenerational workforce. Examples include a study on "Generations of Talent" and the cost of health insurance.