Iese

Logo Iese

Despite diversity quotas, the gender pay gap persists

To build truly fair workplaces, managers need to avoid the pitfalls of the diversity paradox.

A female public speaker in front of an audience.
October 10, 2025

Recent research from IESE professor Sebastian Reiche highlights how well-meaning diversity quotas can sometimes distract from the real issue of the gender pay gap. That’s because managers often stop focusing on gender equity once they’ve hit certain benchmarks.

 

SOURCE: “The diversity paradox: the unintended consequences of gender diversity on gender pay equity” by Claudia Holtschlag, Carlos Morales, Aline Masuda and B. Sebastian Reiche. Human Resource Management (2025).


ALSO OF INTEREST:

Gender pay gap: valuing women’s work

For women, early promotion is vital to reducing the gender pay gap

Video

https://cfvod.kaltura.com/pd/p/1766931/sp/176693100/serveFlavor/entryId/1_h5u5ccka/v/1/ev/4/flavorId/1_l811iyot/name/a.mp4

Sebastian Reiche

Professor in the Department of Managing People in Organizations at IESE. He is an expert on global leadership and work design, knowledge transfer, talent retention, and culture and language in global organizations.