NEW BOOK: MAKE WORK FAIR: Data-Driven Design for Real Results
Leading Gender Experts from Harvard Explore Workplace Fairness and Solutions to Achieve It
Why This Book Matters
- DEI training has existed since the 1960s but research shows that efforts to de-bias people rarely bring success – to make change for a fairer world we must de-bias the systems which underpin our workplaces and societies.
- Written by Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi, two leading gender experts from the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School.
- An insightful book, grounded in research
- Offers powerful insights to help us all take action to make work fair – from policymakers to junior workers, entrepreneurs to senior managers.
- Includes insights from a diverse range of organisations and initiatives in the UK and across the globe – from Google to Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, China’s largest travel agency Trip.com to the BBC, the European Central Bank to NYC Fire Department.
Introducing MAKE WORK FAIR
Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi, two leading gender experts and Harvard researchers, explore workplace fairness and offer innovative solutions in their new book, MAKE WORK FAIR: Data-Driven Design for Real Results (Harper Business; 13 February 2025). Despite widespread efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), many initiatives yield less than stellar results. Bohnet and Chilazi explain that inequity is often built into workplace structures and processes, rendering traditional DEI programs ineffective and burdensome.
In MAKE WORK FAIR, the authors present data-backed, actionable solutions that embed fairness into workplace design. Their evidence-based methods focus on changing behaviours—not attitudes—to turn good intentions into measurable outcomes without challenging deeply held beliefs.
Key Insights and Strategies
Bohnet and Chilazi’s framework empowers employees at all levels to embed fairness into everyday practices. As they write:
“For us, making work fair means designing workplaces where everyone can thrive and perform at their best. This means giving all people—regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other aspect of their identity or background—access to a playing field where some people are not unfairly advantaged in a way they didn’t earn.”
Topics explored include:
- Key myths that explain why current equality efforts often fall short.
- Motivating action by making fairness count.
- Sustainable change through smart process design.
- Normalising fairness by creating environments where people want to work.
- Gender gaps as a two-way street, addressing areas where men are underrepresented (e.g. health, education, administration, and literacy).
With an evidence-based blueprint, MAKE WORK FAIR equips readers to transform workplaces, regardless of their role, seniority, or location.
“To make change for good, we have to keep at it,” Bohnet and Chilazi remind us. “The price of not persisting is simply too high. Unfair work keeps the right people from doing the right job in the right way. That’s what we call a market failure in economics. So, let’s not keep failing.”
Make Work Fair: Data-Driven Design for Real Results by Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi is published on 13 February by Harper Business, priced £25.
Advanced Praise
“Harvard scholars Bohnet and Chilazi offer actionable advice for putting principle into practice and transforming good intentions into measurable impact.”
—Melinda French Gates, Philanthropist, Founder of Pivotal, and New York Times bestselling author of The Moment of Lift
“Whereas many discussions of DEI are driven by ideology, this book is grounded in evidence. It’s a timely, engaging, insightful, and practical guide to building workplaces that create opportunities for everyone to succeed and belong.”
—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast WorkLife
“Bohnet and Chilazi are the leading thinkers helping us design workplaces that are not only more fair but simply better and smarter. This book is a timely and timeless treasure!”
—Indra Nooyi, former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
About the authors
Iris Bohnet is the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and co-director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School. A behavioural economist and author of the award-winning What Works, her work has been featured globally. She advises companies and governments and is a sought-after speaker. Bohnet holds a doctorate in Economics from the University of Zurich and has received multiple awards and honorary degrees.
Siri Chilazi is a senior researcher at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School. Dedicated to advancing workplace gender equality, she collaborates with organizations worldwide as a keynote speaker and strategic advisor. Her work appears in leading media outlets. Chilazi holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA in Chemistry and Physics from Harvard College.
