Women spur greater social responsibility.

• Position: Corporate Culture - Brief article

What is good for women is good for business and society as a whole, suggests a study by Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Mass., and Catalyst, New York. Companies with more women at the top may be better practitioners of corporate social responsibility. Prior Catalyst research has shown that such companies also financially outperform, on average, those with fewer women in senior leadership roles.

"Companies are realizing that advancing more women to senior leadership roles has many benefits, including increased financial performance and sustainability," maintains Anabel Perez, senior vice president of development at Catalyst, a nonprofit membership organization expanding opportunities for women and business. "As this study demonstrates...