Is Testosterone an Influential Factor of Ambition?

A few weeks ago, Anne-Marie slaughter wrote in the New York Times, “Girls are outpacing boys in high schools, universities and graduate schools and are now entering the work force at higher salaries. But the ranks of those women still thin significantly as they rise toward the top, from more than 50 percent at entry level to 10 to 20 percent in senior management.” The question is, why? Is it a matter of women being less ambitious than men? Or having less testosterone? Most men hold a traditional idea of success: big office, big title, big salary. Women, on the other hand, are striving toward something a little different: balance. Does that difference really mean that women are less ambitious or that the definition of success and ambition need are evolving?

Recent headlines have riveted the female population, calling the ambition of women into question. The fervor was sparked by a poll conducted by TIME and Real Simple magazines on how men and women define success and ambition. According to the survey, 51 percent of men and 38 percent of women describe. . .. Read More