The man of the (second) moment: How greater male variability affects the gender composition and productivity of the workforce.

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Selection systems that fail to account for greater male variability result in workforces that are both disproportionately male and inferior in expected job performance. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

José M. Cortina; Imran Kadolkar; Stefan Volk; Christian Thöni

doi:10.1037/apl0001409

September 3, 2026Journal of Applied Psychology

The man of the (second) moment: How greater male variability affects the gender composition and productivity of the workforce.

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Key Points

To evaluate how greater male variability in candidate traits influences gender representation and aggregate performance across common workforce selection systems.
Modeled personnel selection mechanisms to assess outcomes when male trait distributions possess greater variance (second moment) than female distributions.
Analyzed workforce gender ratios and expected productivity across various selection threshold designs and institutional attributes.
Selection tools operating under unequal variance systematically produce severe underrepresentation of female candidates.
Common selection system configurations yield workforces that are predominantly male while simultaneously delivering inferior expected job performance.

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Implication

Theoretical analysis reveals how greater male variability skews hiring toward men and lowers performance in organizations, suggesting targeted adjustments to selection systems.

Abstract

are used as selection tools, women end up being underrepresented. Moreover, selection systems with particular (and not uncommon) attributes result in a workforce that is not only mostly male but also inferior with regard to expected job performance. We suggest solutions that lessen the impact of greater male variability on selection-related decisions. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for gender disparities in promotion and career progression, the gender wage gap, and other related topics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

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Cortina et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9d1e1f28139818eab20c26 https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001409

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The man of the (second) moment: How greater male variability affects the gender composition and productivity of the workforce.

Key Points

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Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

The man of the (second) moment: How greater male variability affects the gender composition and productivity of the workforce.

Key Points

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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