Why do so few women occupy positions of power and prestige? Virginia Valian uses concepts and data from psychology, sociology, economics, and biology to explain the disparity in the professional advancement of men and women. According to Valian, men and women alike have implicit hypotheses about gender differences - gender schemas - that create small sex differences in characteristics, behaviors, perceptions, and evaluations of men and women. Those small imbalances accumulate to advantage men and disadvantage women.

Gender schemas at work -- Gender begins--and continues--at home -- Learning about gender -- Biology and behavior -- Biology and cognition -- Schemas that explain behavior -- Evaluating women and men -- Effects on the self -- Interpreting success and failure -- Women in the professions -- Women in academia -- Professional performance and human values -- Affirmative action and the law -- Remedies.