# Mathematical model of gender bias and homophily in professional hierarchies

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a minimal mathematical model to analyze how bias and homophily influence women's progression in professional hierarchies, revealing that gender parity is not automatic and requires deliberate intervention.

## Contribution

The paper presents a novel mathematical model that predicts the impact of bias and homophily on gender balance in hierarchies, validated with real-world data.

## Key findings

- Gender parity is not guaranteed without intervention.
- Bias and homophily significantly affect women's ascension.
- Specific interventions can accelerate gender balance.

## Abstract

Women have become better represented in business, academia, and government over time, yet a dearth of women at the highest levels of leadership remains. Sociologists have attributed the leaky progression of women through professional hierarchies to various cultural and psychological factors, such as self-segregation and bias. Here, we present a minimal mathematical model that reveals the relative role that bias and homophily (self-seeking) may play in the ascension of women through professional hierarchies. Unlike previous models, our novel model predicts that gender parity is not inevitable, and deliberate intervention may be required to achieve gender balance in several fields. To validate the model, we analyze a new database of gender fractionation over time for 16 professional hierarchies. We quantify the degree of homophily and bias in each professional hierarchy, and we propose specific interventions to achieve gender parity more quickly.