--- title: "Ethical Behavior in the Workplace: Women Less Likely to Compromise" id: "17524" type: "post" slug: "ethical-behavior-in-the-workplace-women-less-likely-to-compromise" published_at: "2013-05-22T20:30:26+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T20:17:42+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/05/22/ethical-behavior-in-the-workplace-women-less-likely-to-compromise/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/05/22/ethical-behavior-in-the-workplace-women-less-likely-to-compromise.md" excerpt: "New research suggests that organizations looking to hire and retain women should consider how much they emphasize ethical behavior in the workplace." taxonomy_category: - "Ethics" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Ethics" - "gender gap" - "Leadership" - "Workplace" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Ethical Behavior in the Workplace: Women Less Likely to Compromise Researchers are positing a new theory as to why there are fewer women in MBA programs and high-ranking positions in the business world. According [to a study (opens in a new tab)](http://knowledgetoday.wharton.upenn.edu/2013/05/emphasizing-ethics-matters-to-female-employees/) published in the journal [Social Psychological and Personality Science (opens in a new tab)](http://spp.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/03/28/1948550613482987.full.pdf+html) [paywall], women are less willing to compromise their ethics to get ahead in business or make more money. > Our research suggests that doing business ethically could help businesses retain talented women. Study coauthors Jessica Kennedy, research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, and Laura Kray, professor at the University of California, Berkley, Haas School of Business, suggest that organizations that value ethics may find favor among women workers. “There is a lot of debate out there about whether businesses can do well and do good at the same time,” Kennedy [said in a statement (opens in a new tab)](http://knowledgetoday.wharton.upenn.edu/2013/05/emphasizing-ethics-matters-to-female-employees/) . “Our research suggests that doing business ethically could help businesses retain talented women.” In the first of three studies, the researchers measured responses to ethical compromises in work settings and found that women were more likely than men to distance themselves from ethically questionable business situations that could lead them to abandon their values. In the second study, participants were presented with job descriptions for positions that involved varying degrees of ethical compromises (for example, one job description required applicants to invest in a company with unethical business practices, while another required applicants to refrain from investing in that company). Women were found to be less interested than men in jobs that presented ethical compromises, but they were just as interested as men in other jobs. The final study—a word-association exercise—found that women were more likely to implicitly associate business, rather than law or medicine, with immorality. The study did not find that women are ethically superior to men. Nor did it suggest that business is more unethical than law or medicine. It only found that women perceive business as more unethical, Kennedy said. “To the extent that businesses want to retain talented women, they should be holding ethics training, selecting leaders who have high ethical standards, and emphasizing ethics within the core culture of the company,” she added. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock) [Katie Bascuas](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/) Katie Bascuas is a former associate editor at Associations Now in Washington, DC. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/) Tags: [#Ethics](https://associationsnow.com/tag/ethics/) [#gender gap](https://associationsnow.com/tag/gender-gap/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Workplace](https://associationsnow.com/tag/workplace/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [ArticleDo You Need an Internal Investigator?August 29, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/29/do-you-need-an-internal-investigator/) - [Video2026 Summit Awards DinnerOctober 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/02/2026-summit-awards-dinner/) - [PodcastSecuring Identity: What Associations Need to Know About Verifiable CredentialsJune 25, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/25/securing-identity-what-associations-need-to-know-about-verifiable-credentials/) - [VideoAmerican Geophysical Union: Standing Up for Science: AGU’s Year of Action for Scientists and SocietySeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-geophysical-union-standing-up-for-science-agus-year-of-action-for-scientists-and-society/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F05%2F22%2Fethical-behavior-in-the-workplace-women-less-likely-to-compromise%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !