We hear of the gender gaps in corporate boardrooms. Experts have plenty of explanations why women haven’t reached the same heights as men. Discrimination is one, the old boy network another. But a couple of professors say they have evidence that women are less competitive than men, and this lack of competitiveness is already evident in girls who have not yet finished grade school. The theory, true or false, has far-reaching implications for women in the work force.

Guests:

Aldo Rustichini, professor of economics at the University of Minnesota, co-author of “Performance in Competitive Environments: Gender Differences”

Lisa Baron, professor at the University of California-Irvine, author of “Ask and You Shall Receive? Gender Differences in Negotiators’ Beliefs about Requests for a Higher Salary”

Barbara Reinhold, professor of psychology and Director of Career Services and Executive Development at Smith College, author of “Free to Succeed: Designing the Life You Want in the New Free Agent Economy”