The Women and Public Policy Program’s faculty, research fellows, and students are committed to advancing women and gender equity globally. Through rigorous research, we offer gender insights into work, politics, and conflict that have the potential to reduce or eliminate barriers so all people can fulfill their life aspirations unconstrained by gender bias.

Spotlight

Join our Virtual Seminar Series on Fairness and Meritocracy at Work

Our spring 2026 seminar examines how organizations can build fair and merit-based workplaces. Academic speakers will explore key challenges that undermine fairness and meritocracy at work, from bias in hiring to barriers in advancement, as well as effective hiring and promotion interventions and policies and cultural practices that move us closer to equal opportunities for all. Register for the seminar series, which is open to everyone.

 

How do you create a workplace where everyone thrives? In this video for Economist Impact, WAPPP co-director Iris Bohnet shares research-backed insights on ways to level the playing field at work in hiring, in performance evaluations, and in leadership roles.

 

Our speaker series explores the relationship between work and family and how institutions, policies, and social norms shape our ability to thrive in both. From caregiving to parental leave to workplace flexibility, the seminars feature research on systems that support—or hinder—work and family life.

 
Research co-authored by Dara Kay Cohen examines support for political violence intersecting with abortion politics, as abortion is a frequent target of political violence, but finds that support for political violence is better predicted by predispositions toward aggression and hostile sexism.

Research & Programs

The WAGE research initiative focuses on data-driven strategies organizations can use to "debias" their systems and create more inclusive workplaces, as well as interventions that enhance individuals’ agency in negotiating more gender-equitable work arrangements, including paid and unpaid labor.

The Gender and Politics initiative aims to advance research on representative democracy and equitable participation in governments across the globe. Our "Oval Office" training program inspires and supports nontraditional candidates to run for public office. 

The Gender and Conflict initiative unites faculty, students, and researchers at Harvard Kennedy School and beyond to study gender in non-violent and violent social movements and the social and institutional factors influencing the prevalence of gender-based violence.

GAP is an online collection of research evaluating the impact of specific policies, strategies, and organizational practices to advance gender equity.  

The fellowship's mission is to support and advance academic and practitioner-scholars in their gender-related research.

Explore all the programs, projects, and initiatives at the Women and Public Policy Program.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF LAND AND PEOPLE

The Women and Public Policy Program and the Harvard Kennedy School are located on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary unceded homeland of the Massachusett people, the surviving descendants of the first people of Massachusetts and of the Neponset band of the Massachusett. We honor this tradition and work toward a gender equity agenda that addresses the needs of all women, including Indigenous women and Indigenous communities. For more information, please visit our GAP Land Acknowledgement resource page.