Discover on this page Baker Library resources by—or about—women. Want to learn more about certain materials? Contact infoservices@hbs.edu

 

An image that says "Women's History Month @ Baker Library" with the email "infoservices@hbs.edu" and a subsection that says " Baker Library Informed Leaders Start Here"

 

 

Quick Baker Library Resources

 

New Books: Women & Business

Baker Library is constantly adding new materials to its permanent collection. The development of new titles is closely tied to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and anti-racism.

 

An image of 4 book covers with the titles and authors listed

 

Use this interactive visualization of Baker and Harvard Library materials to browse new additions to the collections. Click on a book cover to request the item via the library catalog, HOLLIS.

 

Baker Collections & Data

 

A sculpture by the artist Simone Leigh

 

 

 

 

 

Investigate this Tableau data dashboard of the largest minority/women-owned businesses in Massachusetts. See how trends have shifted over time. This information comes from the Boston Business Journal's Book of Lists

 

Contemporary Art & Sculpture

The HBS Art Collection & Program consists of over 1,000 original works and serves as a key teaching and learning resource for the HBS community. Our ongoing contemporary outdoor sculpture exhibition program has featured sculptures by Louise Bourgeois, Lynda Benglis, Bharti Kher, and Jenny Holzer since its start in 2016, and currently you can see Mary Frank’s sculpture Presence, on view as part of Harvard Business School’s permanent collection, in the courtyard of Hamilton Hall, as well as Simone Leigh’s sculpture currently on view in Mellon Hall courtyard.

 

Six pieces of contemporary art from the Schwartz Collection

Selected Works by Women Artists from the Schwartz Art Collection

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

HBS Art Collection & Program

A sculpture by the artist Mary Frank

Mary Frank, Presence, 1985-1986, bronze. HBS Art and Artifacts Collection. 

 

Presence, a large bronze sculpture of a woman’s head, was installed at Harvard Business School in 1989. In her 1990 biography Mary Frank, art historian Hayden Herrera described how the work came to be: “When [Mary Frank] closed up the Lake Hill house and returned to New York in the fall of 1985, she left a large clay head drying in her studio. The temperature dropped below freezing, causing cracks to open on the sculpture’s cheeks and forehead. When she returned the following spring, she watched the cracks lengthen and move toward the woman’s eyes and mouth. ‘They had their own beauty,’ [...] (p.191).

 

 

Simone Leigh, Sentinel (Mami Wata), 2020-21, Bronze. 194 x 64 x 28 inches, Loan of Bridgitt and Bruce Evans. © Simone Leigh 2023. 

 

Originally commissioned for the exhibition Prospect.5 in New Orleans, Leigh’s 2020-21 bronze sculpture Sentinel (Mami Wata) is a work that invites reflection on the way African cultural symbols traverse the African diaspora, shifting and metamorphosing as they intersect with local traditions. Leigh describes the sculpture as “my interpretation of a West African water spirit, a deity who has destructive powers as well as creative-generative ones.” The work takes as inspiration the figure of Mami Wata, an animistic deity that is celebrated throughout Africa and the African diaspora, including the United States, the Caribbean, and Brazil. 

 

Special Collections and Archives

Special Collections and Archives collects and makes available the records of business dating from the 14th century to the present and the records of the Harvard Business School since its founding in 1908.

 

Photos from the HBS archive depicting four decades of women in classrooms

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION: BUSINESS EDUCATION FOR WOMEN AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY (1937-1970)

Building the Foundation traces the early history of business education for women at Harvard University from the founding of the one-year certificate program at Radcliffe College in 1937 to the integration of women into Harvard Business School (HBS) by 1970. Illustrating the evolution of this formative period are photographs, interviews, reports, and correspondence from Baker Library Historical Collections at Harvard Business School and from the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at the Radcliffe Institute.

 

Working Knowledge

HBS Working Knowledge distills the latest faculty research into practical insights for leaders, entrepreneurs, and change agents. Stay up-to-date by signing up for the Working Knowledge Newsletter.

 

Too Nice to Lead? Unpacking the Gender Stereotype That Holds Women Back

People mistakenly assume that women managers are more generous and fair when it comes to giving money, says research by Christine Exley. Could that misperception prevent companies from shrinking the gender pay gap?

How Centuries of Restrictions on Women Shed Light on Today's Abortion Debate

Going back to pre-industrial times, efforts to limit women's sexuality have had a simple motive: to keep them faithful to their spouses. Research by Anke Becker looks at the deep roots of these restrictions and their economic implications.

Will Demand for Women Executives Finally Shrink the Gender Pay Gap?

Women in senior management have more negotiation power than they think in today's labor market, says research by Paul Healy and Boris Groysberg. Is it time for more women to seek better opportunities and bigger pay?

Career Advice for Minorities and Women: Sharing Your Identity Can Open Doors

Women and people of color tend to minimize their identities in professional situations, but highlighting who they are often forces others to check their own biases. Research by Edward Chang and colleagues.