The Women in Business Chair

Sciences Po has inaugurated the Chair for Women's Entrepreneurship, a new research and teaching chair. Its objective is to create and scientifically evaluate initiatives aimed at reducing the barriers that women face in their careers, whether it's accessing leadership positions or venturing into entrepreneurship. It is directed towards both female students who may be discouraged from entrepreneurship, business leaders seeking guidance on possible interventions, and government bodies wishing to raise awareness about best practices.

One of its primary objectives is to develop entrepreneurial skills, especially soft skills, which are increasingly necessary for career advancement in a rapidly changing job market, so that more women can access leadership positions.

The Chair develops activities around three key areas, supported by the Center for Entrepreneurship and LIEPP.

Research

Conduct research primarily in experimental economics, sociology, and social psychology, focusing on the development of interventions to reduce the barriers that discourage women from venturing into entrepreneurship or, more broadly, from reaching leadership positions.

Pedagogy

Practically implement research findings to create new teaching materials and occasional workshops to develop the skills required for careers in an evolving job market.

Knowledge Dissemination

Inform society more broadly about effective interventions to promote women's entrepreneurship and leadership.

"After several years dedicated to gender research and the study of stereotypes, this chair allows us to go further in analyzing possible interventions to propose genuinely effective solutions to promote women's leadership," explains Anne Boring (affiliated researcher at LIEPP), who is responsible for the chair.

Leveraging the expertise of LIEPP and PRESAGE to better inform universities, businesses, and government bodies

The Chair relies on Sciences Po's unique expertise in terms of evaluation, notably developed within the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Public Policy Evaluation (Labex), established in 2011.

The research of this Chair will be part of the Discrimination and Social Inequality research axis at LIEPP, which aims to contribute to the public debate by assessing the extent and evolution of discrimination in France and analyzing the challenges they pose to public policies combating social inequalities.

The Chair's program is also based on research developed at Sciences Po in the field of gender equality, particularly through the Teaching and Research Program on Gender Knowledge (PRESAGE).

Thanks to this expertise, the Chair will produce research work whose results will aim to better inform universities, businesses, and government bodies. Research work will primarily focus on the scientific evaluation of interventions aimed at reducing the impact of gender stereotypes and biases that hinder women's professional ambitions. The first policy brief will focus on the issue of women's public speaking and interventions aimed at helping them develop their skills in this area.

Contact: anne.boring@sciencespo.fr

Project sponsors: Goldman Sachs, Fondation CHANEL, AXA Research Fund & the PepsiCo Foundation.

For more information, visit the website of the Chair for Women's Entrepreneurship.