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It's really a no-brainer. But a new study has found that being more like men doesn't work for women. At least, not in STEM careers. According to newswise.com, even when women were more like men 20 to 40 years ago, it didn’t help them get a job in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, says study author Sharon Sassler, professor of policy analysis and management.   I can remember back to those days (though you wouldn't find me in a STEM career to save my life) when women wore blouses with bow ties and dark suits, tried to talk about sports, even scuttled their plans for marriage and kids, in an attempt to be taken seriously by the male executives in our lives.  We learned the hard way it didn't work.  And now, it seems, we're learning again. The study found that when women planned to delay marriage and limit the number of children they wanted – which would let them focus exclusively on work – they didn’t get the same employmen...

If you're a woman, you're far more likely to get derailed long-term in your career than a man. Don't get mad at me. That's what a new study says.  It's not so much what you'd expect -- us leaving the work force to have children, then trying to get back in - as it's that old nasty thing -- gender bias .  And that old, be nice to everyone cliche. I thought we got rid of that with the real possibility (please, God) that a woman is going to become president. But it seems gender bias is alive and well. In the study University of Florida management professor Joyce Bono examined a phenomenon called managerial derailment, where a seemingly up-and-coming manager gets fired, demoted, or doesn’t advance as expected. She found that supervisors can have subtle, even subconscious differences in expectations for the behavior of male and female managers, which can have costly consequences for women in the workplace, most notably the loss of mentorship, accor...

Now this made sense to pay for.  A new study says women do ask for raises .  But don't get them. You've seen the commercial, the young woman in the restroom practicing in the mirror as she prepares to ask her boss for a raise (and the older woman saying, "Just do it," or something to that effect!). According to newswise.com, new research from the Cass Business School, the University of Warwick and the University of Wisconsin shows that women ask for wage raises just as often as men, but men are 25 per cent more likely to get a raise when they ask. The research is the first to do a statistical test of the idea that women get paid less because they are not as pushy as men. The researchers found no support for the theory. The authors of the study Do Women Ask? also examined the claim that female employees hold back for fear of upsetting their boss, and again found no evidence for this theory either. Co-author Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics and B...

Pretty funny.  All this time we thought flextime was great because its aim was to help us balance careers and home life.  But like just about everything else in the work world, flextime works better for men than for women, a new study has found. In fact, it may even have an impact on the gender pay gap, as well, reports newswise.com. Researchers found a considerable 'gender gap' in the income gained through schedule control (having autonomy over working hours), the web site notes. "Both men and women gain additional income when using schedule control mediated via overtime hours," it says. "However, women, even full-time working women, do not reap the direct benefit men do in terms of income gains. In fact, the research suggests schedule control may potentially increase the gender pay gap." The researchers found that this gender discrepancy exists even when they took into account the gender segregation of the labor market, i.e., sectors and occ...

So we live longe r, but less healthier than men.  And now a new study says women's long work hours are linked to alarming increases in cancer and heart disease, according to newswise.com. And it's not just the workaholics who toil for 60 or 70 hours a week.  It's those of us who work 40 hours, as well. Women who put in long hours for the bulk of their careers may pay a steep price: life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more over three decades appear to triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis for women, according to new research from The Ohio State University. The risk begins to climb when women put in more than 40 hours and takes a decidedly bad turn above 50 hours, researchers found. Women – especially women who have to juggle multiple roles – feel the effects of intensive work experiences and that can set the table for a variety of illnesses and disability,” says All...

It's probably something you've always wondered.  Why do women live longer than men? Maybe not. And the answer is, no one knows!  When I was a kid, it was thought because most women didn't work (outside the home, that is!). They stayed home and baked brownies and took the kids to the park and the playground and looked pretty and fetching when Dad came home.  Well, some moms did.  (Not mine.) But a new study says that women do live longer than men, and their bonus lifespan is the same in mammals and some birds and primates and just about any living (human) thing walking around on the earth. "Humans are the only species in which one sex is known to have a ubiquitous survival advantage,” the UAB researchers write in their research review covering a multitude of species, according to newswise.com. “Indeed, the sex difference in longevity may be one of the most robust features of human biology.” Though other species, from roundworms and fruit flies to a spectr...

As if men don't have it good enough all on their own, now a new study says they do better when there's more gender equality. Men living in highly gender equal societies have better quality of life than men in less gender equal societies, according to new research from Øystein Gullvåg Holter, as reported by newswise.com. If you live in one of the more gender-equal countries in Europe, the chances of having high quality of life are about twice as big as for those living in one of the less gender equal counties. Moreover, the chances of depression, divorce, or becoming a victim of violent death are smaller. This applies to both men and women. Based on an examination of a major database of statistics gathered from various equality indexes, Øystein Gullvåg Holter is able to conclude that a high degree of gender equality has positive effects not only on women; it also benefits men. I suppose that's true.  When you look at cultures that don't value women, ...

Eating tofu gives you cancer.  If you're a woman, that will scare you enough to stop eating it.  If you're a man, maybe not so much. A new study has found that fear-based appeals appear to be effective at influencing attitudes and behaviors, especially among women, according to a comprehensive review of over 50 years of research on the topic, published by the American Psychological Association, reported by newswise.com. "There are very few circumstances under which they are not effective and there are no identifiable circumstances under which they backfire and lead to undesirable outcomes,” newswise.com quotes Dolores Albarracin, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an author of the study. Fear appeals are persuasive messages that emphasize the potential danger and harm that will befall individuals if they do not adopt the messages’ recommendations. While these types of messages are commonly used in political, ...

This probably won't surprise too many of us.  But women are more empathetic than most, but not all, men. A fascinating new study has revealed that men and women attracted to men are more empathetic than men and women attracted to women, according to a new study from the Department of Psychology at the University of Haifa. “People attracted to a particular gender, whether they are heterosexual or homosexual, have common social tools, and thus exhibit the same level of empathy,” says Professor Simone Shamay-Tsoory of the Department of Psychology at the University of Haifa who conducted the study, according to newswise.com. Sociologists claim that empathy plays an important role in the development of human society in that it contributes to peoples’ understanding of others and causes them to take the latter’s feelings into account. Behavioral and brain studies show that activities related to empathy are regulated differently in men and women, based on preferences tha...

Who'd have guessed?  Men are more jealous when a member of their own sex uses an emoticon in a text to their significant other than women. According to new research,“Men were more jealous when emoticons—specifically winking ones—were included in messages to their significant other,” says Dr. Denise Friedman, associate professor and chair of psychology at Roanoke College, and author of the study. She adds that women were more jealous when there were no emoticons. Say what?   Now I'm lucky because my husband hates computers and only uses one when he absolutely has to.  A few years ago his office moved to electronic medical records and he was forced, kicking and screaming, to enter the digital age.  He wouldn't know an emoticon from a leprechaun. Men and women also reacted in different ways, depending on how the study questions were asked, according to newswise.com. Women reported more Facebook jealousy in general, especially when surveyed, but men reporte...

This should probably come as no surprise.  But men are more narcissistic than women. I suspect this is true because women who think highly of themselves are often thought of as vain and self-centered while men who do, aren't. When was the last time someone called George Clooney in love with himself? With three decades of data from more than 475,000 participants, a new study from the University at Buffalo School of Management reveals that men, on average, are more narcissistic than women, according to newswise.com.  “Narcissism is associated with various interpersonal dysfunctions, including an inability to maintain healthy long-term relationships, unethical behavior and aggression,” says lead author Emily Grijalva, PhD, assistant professor of organization and human resources in the UB School of Management. But at the same time, narcissism is also shown to boost self-esteem, emotional stability and the tendency to emerge as a leader. Think of the people you k...

Pretty funny. I've heard this before.  Men and women aren't really so different.  A new study claims again that's true. According to newswise.com, an Iowa State University (ISU) study has found that, in reality, men and women are more alike than we may think.  Gender stereotypes can influence beliefs and create the impression that the differences are large, says Zlatan Krizan, an associate professor of psychology at ISU.  Aggregated studies that included 12 million people "found an almost 80 percent overlap for more than 75 percent of the psychological characteristics researched, such as risk taking, occupational stress and morality. So, are we really more alike than unlike?  In my house some of the stereotypes play out.  My husband is as ineffective with tools -- and uncomplicated repairs -- as I am.  Our handyman is sending his children through college.  And I'm not a great cook, but I'm better than he (who once asked how you turn the ov...

Wouldn't you just know? When women are scarce , men will do just anything to get one.  That's according to a new study of, of all things, the Makushi people in Guyana, which showed that men are more likely to seek long-term relationships when women are in short supply, as reported by newswise.com. In my experience, it's the woman who's always looking for the commitment, while the man, looking over his shoulder to make sure he hasn't missed someone cuter. “Commitment to a relationship is influenced by the availability of partners. So we can think of the number of men and women in a population as a potential mating market where the principles of supply and demand hold sway,” says University of Utah anthropologist Ryan Schacht, first author of the study published online Wednesday, Jan. 14 in the journal Royal Society Open Science .  I suppose that's true.  I haven't been on the dating scene for quite a while but I seem to remember that the more la...

It probably shouldn't come as a surprise but men are more likely to deceive women in negotiations than other men. The real shocker is that women do this, too. According to a new study, women face dishonesty more in negotiations than men.  That's because it's perceived that women are easier to deceive.  By both men and women. Researchers have found that women are usually at a real disadvantage during negotiations. Think back to your own sessions with someone when you're trying to get something you want.  Maybe a job.  On the interview you have everything all lined up, your portfolio, background information on the company and possibly the people you will be talking to, the company's expectations and requirements for the job.  You arrive on time.  You're dressed appropriately.  You feel pretty confident. And then the meeting starts and you're suddenly at a loss.  Or, this is what happens to me.  I go in, answer all the questions, lik...

It's a  compelling question.  Must women be seen to be heard? A new study has found that consumers respond differently to male voices selling things than female voices.  That's probably why 80% of all voice-overs are done by men. Another interesting fact: any female voice-overs are predominantly embodied by an attractive woman, whereas male voices are often disembodied or represented by both ugly and attractive men. Think of some recent commercials.  The new one for Samsung phones comes to mind, a beautiful blonde woman who's pregnant (another stereotype) who cries over seeing a cat and dog cuddle, or sits by the pool with a drink (hopefully, non-alcoholic) watching someone doing Pilates on TV.  When her husband comments, she says, "Eyes are muscles, too." There have been some very interesting commercials on lately, where more and more of the actors are overweight.  Have you seen the one for some pizza chain with an overweight man listening to mu...

Here's a scary thought.  Did you know eating too many ramen noodles might give you a heart attack? A new study says this is especially true for women (figures). Significant consumption of the convenient food product – ramen included – may increase a person’s risk for cardiometabolic syndrome, especially in women, newswise.com reports. This means diabetes, stroke, or heart disease risk.  Because ramen consumption is relatively high among Asian populations, the research focused primarily on South Korea, which has the highest per-capita number of instant noodle consumers in the world. In recent years, South Koreans have experienced a rapid increase in health problems, specifically heart disease, and a growing number of overweight adults. Such changes could lead to increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease, as well as increased health care costs, according to the Web site. The researcher, Dr. Hyun Joon Shin, who led the study on behalf of the Baylor Heart...

A new study has found that women see risk a lot more negatively than men. According to newswise.com, "Risky situations increase anxiety for women but not for men, leading women to perform worse under these circumstances." “On the surface, risky situations may not appear to be particularly disadvantageous to women, but these findings suggest otherwise,” the Web site quotes study author Susan R. Fisk, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Stanford University, who defines a risky situation as any setting with an uncertain outcome in which there can be both positive or negative results, depending on some combination of skill and chance. And it doesn't have to be whether it's only just when you consider jumping out of an airplane with only a parachute on your back.   According to Fisk, people often think of an extreme physical or financial risk when they think about a “risky situation.” Yet, in reality, people encounter risky situations all of the time. Fi...

I don't know if we should find this surprising but middle-aged women have affairs for passion and sex, not to leave their husbands. According to a new study, women missing passion and sex in their marriages have affairs -- but no intention of divorcing their husbands. I guess we like to have our cake, and eat it, too?  Sorry.  I couldn't resist.  But why not?  Men have been having it like this for years, if you believe the stats (of course, we do it, too). “Being happy in marriage is far different than being happy in bed,” newswise.com quotes Eric Anderson, a professor of masculinity, sexuality, and sport at the University of Winchester in England and the chief science officer at AshleyMadison.com, a popular Web site for those interested in having extra-marital affairs. In their study, Anderson and his co-authors focus on 100 heterosexual, married, females between the ages of 35 and 45, and their conversations with potential suitors on AshleyMadison.com,...

Doesn't it just make you want to laugh (or cry)?  A new study has found that men who try to balance their work/home lives are viewed more favorably than women. Say what? According to newswise.com, while some suggest that flexible work arrangements have the potential to reduce workplace inequality, a new study finds these arrangements may exacerbate discrimination based on parental status and gender. Among those who made flexible work requests, men who asked to work from home two days a week in order to care for a child were significantly advantaged compared to women who made the same request. Study author Christin Munsch, an assistant professor of sociology at Furman University, also found that both men and women who made flexible work requests for childcare-related reasons were advantaged compared to those who made the same requests for other reasons.  For her study, Munsch used a sample of 646 people who ranged in age from 18 to 65 and resided in the U.S. Par...

Who knew?  Sharing housework doesn't mean less sex. At least, not according to a new study.  Newswise.com reports that the authors of a 2013 study would say yes, it does, but new research done by Georgia State sociologists suggests otherwise. The previous study examined data from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, says Assistant Professor of Sociology Daniel Carlsonid. But he and his colleagues used data from a 2006 Marital and Relationship Survey (MARS) that sampled low-to-moderate income couples with a minor child. Their results show an equal division of labor in the home does not lead to a decrease in sexual frequency and satisfaction. Egalitarian couples have similar and sometimes better sex lives than their conventional counterparts.  Both arrangements are sexy for people,” Carlson says at newswise.com. “You can find high quality relationships in both types of relationships. Neither are detrimental.” Carlson believes this new research proves American...