Bio

Andrea Rees Davies holds a PhD in history, a MA in history and a MA in religious studies from Stanford, as well as a BA in comparative religion and women’s studies from Harvard.

In addition to her work at KIPAC, Davies has taught a course on LGBTQ U.S. History and created a LGBTQ Oral History Project at Stanford. Davies’ research interests in the history of social inequality includes her book Saving San Francisco: Relief and Recovery After the 1906 Disaster, which reveals how new relief policies preserved social hierarchies in the early-twentieth-century city. Her interest in the social consequences of disasters was sparked by her experiences as a San Francisco firefighter.

Davies has also worked on interdisciplinary research teams and published research studies on gender inequality in Silicon Valley high-tech companies, venture capitalist perceptions of women entrepreneurs, the history of the racialized and gendered “ideal worker” myth, and dual-career academic couples at U.S. research universities.

Current Role at Stanford

Managing Director, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC)

Program Affiliations

  • Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Professional Education

  • BA, Harvard/Radcliffe Colleges, Comparative Religion and Women's Studies (1990)
  • MA, Stanford University, Religious Studies (1996)
  • Firefighter, San Francisco Fire Department, Firefighter / EMT (1997)
  • MA, Stanford University, History (2003)
  • PhD, Stanford University, History (2005)

Contact

  • Academic
    ardavies@stanford.edu
    University - Staff Department: KIPAC Position: Academic Operations Mgr 2

2023-24 Courses

All Publications

  • Saving San Francisco: Relief and Recovery after the 1906 Disaster SAVING SAN FRANCISCO: RELIEF AND RECOVERY AFTER THE 1906 DISASTER Davies, A. R. 2012: 1–220

    View details for Web of Science ID 000337957700008

  • Gender and venture capital decision-making: The effects of technical background and social capital on entrepreneurial evaluations SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH Tinkler, J. E., Whittington, K., Ku, M. C., Davies, A. 2015; 51: 1–16

    Abstract

    Research on gender and workplace decision-making tends to address either supply-side disparities between men's and women's human and social capital, or demand-side differences in the status expectations of women and men workers. In addition, this work often relies on causal inferences drawn from empirical data collected on worker characteristics and their workplace outcomes. In this study, we demonstrate how tangible education and work history credentials - typically associated with supply-side characteristics - work in tandem with cultural beliefs about gender to influence the evaluative process that underlies venture capital decisions made in high-growth, high-tech entrepreneurship. Using an experimental design, we simulate funding decisions by venture capitalists (VCs) for men and women entrepreneurs that differ in technical background and the presence of important social ties. We demonstrate the presence of two distinct aspects of VCs' evaluation: that of the venture and that of the entrepreneur, and find that the gender of the entrepreneur influences evaluations most when the person, rather than the venture, is the target of evaluation. Technical background qualifications moderate the influence of gendered expectations, and women receive more of a payoff than men from having a close contact to the evaluating VC. We discuss the implications for future research on gender and work.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2014.12.008

    View details for Web of Science ID 000351487800001

    View details for PubMedID 25769848

  • The Origins of the Ideal Worker: The Separation of Work and Home in the United States From the Market Revolution to 1950 WORK AND OCCUPATIONS Davies, A., Frink, B. D. 2014; 41 (1): 18–39

    View details for DOI 10.1177/0730888413515893

    View details for Web of Science ID 000331391300002

  • Climbing the Technical Ladder: Obstacles and Solutions for Mid-level Women in Technology Simard, C., Davies Henderson, A., Gilmartin, S. K., Schiebinger, L., Whitney, T. Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research. Stanford University. 2008

    Abstract

    Climbing the Technical Ladder provides an in-depth look into the barriers to retention and advancement of technical women in Silicon Valley's high tech industry, providing practical recommendations to employers on how to overcome these barriers. While most high tech companies recognize the benefits of diversity, gender disparity in technical jobs remains glaringly obvious as very few women reach top technical positions such as Technology Fellow or Vice-President of Engineering. Our study shows, among other findings, that technical women in management positions are likely to be viewed as less technically competent than their male peers, and over a third of mid-level technical women have delayed having children to achieve career goals. This study has been created by the Clayman Institute for Gender Research in collaboration with the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.

  • Dual-career Academic Couples: What Universities Need to Know Schiebinger, L., Davies Henderson, A., Gilmartin, S. K. Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research. Stanford University. 2008 98

    Abstract

    Dual-career issues are increasingly important in higher education today. Over 70 percent of faculty are in dual-career relationships; more than a third are partnered with another academic. This trend is particularly strong among women scientists and assistant professors. As the number of women receiving Ph.D.s continues to rise, U.S. universities will see an increasing number of high quality candidates for faculty positions partnered with another academic. This presents universities with a challenge, but also a great opportunity to diversify their faculty. Based on the partnering status of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty in thirteen top U.S. research universities, Dual-Career Academic Couples explores the impact of dual-career partnering on hiring, retention, professional attitudes, and work culture in the U.S. university sector. It also makes recommendations for improving the way universities work with dual-career candidates and strengthen overall communication with their faculty on hiring and retention issues.

    Dual-career Academic Couples: What Universities Need to Know