Showing papers on "Glass ceiling published in 2007"

Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders

Abstract: Despite real progress, women remain rare enough in elite positions of power that their presence still evokes a sense of wonder. In Through the Labyrinth, Alice Eagly and Linda Carli examine why women's paths to power remain difficult to traverse. First, Eagly and Carli prove that the glass ceiling is no longer a useful metaphor and offer seven reasons why. They propose the labyrinth as a better image and explain how to navigate through it. This important and practical book addresses such critical questions as: How far have women actually come as leaders? Do stereotypes and prejudices still limit women's opportunities? Do people resist women's leadership more than men's? And, do organisations create obstacles to women who would be leaders?This book's rich analysis is founded on scientific research from psychology, economics, sociology, political science, and management. The authors ground their conclusions in that research and invoke a wealth of engaging anecdotes and personal accounts to illustrate the practical principles that emerge. With excellent leadership in short supply, no group, organisation, or nation can afford to restrict women's access to leadership roles. This book evaluates whether such restrictions are present and, when they are, what we can do to eliminate them.

Is there a glass ceiling over europe? exploring the gender pay gap across the wages distribution

Abstract: Using harmonised data from the European Union Household Panel, we analyse gender pay gaps by sector across the wages distribution for ten countries. We find that the mean gender pay gap in the raw data typically hides large variations in the gap across the wages distribution. We use quantile regression (QR) techniques to control for the effects of individual and job characteristics at different points of the distribution, and calculate the part of the gap attributable to differing returns between men and women. We find that, first, gender pay gaps are typically bigger at the top of the wage distribution, a finding that is consistent with the existence of glass ceilings. For some countries gender pay gaps are also bigger at the bottom of the wage distribution, a finding that is consistent with sticky floors. Third, the gender pay gap is typically higher at the top than the bottom end of the wage distribution, suggesting that glass ceilings are more prevalent than sticky floors and that these prevail in the majority of our countries. Fourth, the gender pay gap differs significantly across the public and the private sector wages distribution for each of our EU countries.

Women and the labyrinth of leadership.

Abstract: Two decades ago, people began using the "glass ceiling" catchphrase to describe organizations' failure to promote women into top leadership roles. Eagly and Carli, of Northwestern University and Wellesley College, argue in this article (based on a forthcoming book from Harvard Business School Press) that the metaphor has outlived its usefulness. In fact, it leads managers to overlook interventions that would attack the problem at its roots, wherever it occurs. A labyrinth is a more fitting image to help organizations understand and address the obstacles to women's progress. Rather than depicting just one absolute barrier at the penultimate stage of a distinguished career, a labyrinth conveys the complexity and variety of challenges that can appear along the way. Passage through a labyrinth requires persistence, awareness of one's progress, and a careful analysis of the puzzles that lie ahead. Routes to the center exist but are full of twists and turns, both expected and unexpected. Vestiges of prejudice against women, issues of leadership style and authenticity, and family responsibilities are just a few of the challenges. For instance, married mothers now devote even more time to primary child care per week than they did in earlier generations (12.9 hours of close interaction versus 10.6), despite the fact that fathers, too, put in a lot more hours than they used to (6.5 versus 2.6). Pressures for intensive parenting and the increasing demands of most high-level careers have left women with very little time to socialize with colleagues and build professional networks--that is, to accumulate the social capital that is essential to managers who want to move up. The remedies proposed--such as changing the long-hours culture, using open-recruitment tools, and preparing women for line management with appropriately demanding assignments--are wide ranging, but together they have a chance of achieving leadership equity in our time.

Working for the Woman? Female Managers and the Gender Wage Gap:

Abstract: Most previous research on gender inequality and management has been concerned with the question of access to managerial jobs and the “glass ceiling.” We offer the first largescale analysis that tur...

Twenty years later: explaining the persistence of the glass ceiling for women leaders

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this conceptual paper is to provide a theoretical explanation for the persistence of the glass ceiling keeping women from assuming leadership positions.Design/methodology/approach – The methodological approach of this paper is to compare and contrast social role theory and expectation states theory as theoretical underpinnings to explain the persistence of a glass ceiling for women leaders.Findings – Both social role theory and expectation states theory belong to the structural/cultural models describing differences between the genders. Social role theory and expectation states theory explicate diverse reasons for the emergence of these differences. However, both theories propose that gender differences will result in evaluation bias against women.Practical implications – As a result of evaluation bias against women, the glass ceiling phenomenon keeping women from assuming top leadership positions continues to occur.Originality/value – This paper is being written on the 20 year an...

Making sense of the glass ceiling in schools: an exploration of women teachers’ discourses

Abstract: There is extensive evidence of a ‘glass ceiling’ for women across the labour market. Though schools have widely been described as ‘feminized’ work environments, the under‐representation of women at school management level is well established. Based on a study of women teachers’ careers and promotion in the English school sector (in early years, primary and secondary schools), this paper draws on a critical discourse analysis of 44 individual interviews conducted with women teachers to explore their views of the ‘glass ceiling’. Despite significant evidence of the barriers to management positions faced by women teachers, interpretative frameworks drawing on discourses of individualization and personal choice are most prominent among these to make sense of the low proportion of women in school management. However, the paper also identifies the existence of alternative discourses recognizing the existence of gender inequalities.

Mothers on the Fast Track: How a New Generation Can Balance Family and Careers

Abstract: In the past few decades the number of women entering graduate and professional schools has been going up and up, while the number of women reaching the top rung of the corporate and academic worlds has remained relatively stagnant. Why are so many women falling off the fast track? In this timely book, Mary Ann Mason traces the career paths of the first generation of ambitious women who started careers in academia, law, medicine, business, and the media in large numbers in the 1970s and '80s. Many women who had started families but continued working had ended up veering off the path to upper management at a point she calls "the second glass ceiling." Rather than sticking to their original career goals, they allowed themselves to slide into a second tier of management that offers fewer hours, less pay, lower prestige, and limited upward mobility. Men who did likewise-entered the career world with high aspirations and then started families while working-not only did not show the same trend, they reached even higher levels of professional success than men who had no families at all. Along with her daughter, an aspiring journalist, Mason has written a guide for young women who are facing the tough decision of when-and if-to start a family. It is also a guide for older women seeking a second chance to break through to the next level, as Mason herself did in academia. The book features anecdotes and strategies from the dozens of women they interviewed. Advice ranges from the personal (know when to say "no," the importance of time management) to the institutional, with suggestions for how the workplace itself can be changed to make it easier for ambitious working mothers to reach the top levels. The result is a roadmap of new choices for women facing the sobering question of how to balance a successful career with family.

Stained Glass Makes the Ceiling Visible Organizational Opposition to Women in Congregational Leadership

Abstract: While women represent the vast majority of participants in religious organizations in the United States, their participation in top leadership positions within Christian congregations remains remarkably low. In this article, the author uses the National Congregations Study to examine the situations that lead to this “stained glass ceiling” effect, prohibiting women from attaining top congregational leadership positions. The author also investigates similar barriers that exist at other levels of congregational leadership. The results suggest that while a queue-like process appears, the specifically religious nature of these organizations produces barriers that are quite different from the traditional glass ceiling conceptualization.

Legal Work and the Glass Cliff: Evidence that Women are Preferentially Selected to Lead Problematic Cases

Abstract: Recent archival and experimental research by Ryan and Haslam has revealed the phenomenon of the glass cliff whereby women are more likely than men to be appointed to risky or precarious leadership positions in problematic organizational circumstances. This paper extends research on the glass cliff by examining the precariousness of the cases women are assigned in a legal context. An experimental study conducted with law students (N = 114) investigated the appointment of a candidate to lead a legal case that was defined as either low-risk or high-risk. Commensurate with patterns observed in other domains, results indicated that a male candidate was as likely as a female to be selected as lead counsel for a low-risk case but that there was a strong preference for a female rather than a male appointment for a high-risk case. The study also examines the way in which participants' evaluations of candidates and their perceptions of risk and opportunity related to candidate selection. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Beyond the glass ceiling

Abstract: Women and under-represented minorities are earning historically high numbers of science doctorates in the United States. So why aren't they making it to the professorial ranks? Kendall Powell investigates.

Gender impediments to the South African Executive Boardroom

Abstract: The research set out to understand why, despite the fact that the laws have changed and access to equal opportunities is available, there are not more women holding executive positions in corporate South Africa. Our qualitative research indicates that it is not appropriate to think of any one theoretical approach in isolation and sheds light on the challenges facing women in executive positions in South Africa. The paper concludes that the glass ceiling is an effect rather than a cause, and that a wholesale societal shift is required with respect to the concept of empowerment in order for greater equality to be achieved in the workplace. This societal cultural underpinning is what differentiates South African gender issues from those in other countries such as the UK and Canada.

Climbing through medicine's glass ceiling.

Abstract: Only 14 of 124 U.S. medical school deans are women. Dr. Nancy Andrews writes that if institutions are to accelerate the emergence of more female deans, they will need to consider women who have not stepped on every rung of the traditional academic career ladder.

Why Do Few Women Advance to Leadership Positions

Abstract: Women comprise a large segment of the available managerial talent across the globe, yet their representation at top level managerial positions in business and public administration, is rather obscure. The leadership prospect for women managers is a critical issue in gender equality and remains a researchable proposition. This article examines the literature of the last two decades on career advancement and leadership to unearth the impediments for women in management. Sex role orientation and the stereotyping of a manager's role as a masculine construct, along with the glass ceiling effect in organizations, are predominant themes that explain why so few women progress to positions of leadership and authority. The literature also points out that lack of career planning amongst women managers and their collaborative, power sharing management style, that are in sharp contrast to male managers, significantly influence women's advancement to the top echelons of management.

Gendered career-making practices: On doing ambition or how managers discursively position themselves in a multinational corporation

Abstract: Although in the last decades there have been an increasing number of female managers, few make it to top management positions. In this study we want to gain insight into the persistence of the ‘glass ceiling’ by analyzing, from an ethnomethodologically informed discursive approach, how managers discursively position themselves in career making practices. Our study is located at the Dutch site of a multinational corporation where no women were found in higher positions, despite their growing presence in management positions. We aim at unraveling the implied membership competencies to participate in career making practices. In line with research on gendered organizations we consider these competencies to be gendered. In a detailed discursive analysis of interview material we identified an underlying paradox of ‘doing ambition’. We conclude that the women in this study who are ‘doing ambition’ are inevitably caught in a double bind position. The (re)production of gender inequality can be understood in terms of this double bind that is normalized in the organization. We argue that the discursive approach demonstrated in this article, is suitable for gaining insight into the often paradoxical demands managers, and especially women, face in daily career practices.

Gender Bias and Compensation in the Executive Suite of the Fortune 100

Abstract: The current study examines two gender-related phenomena, the existence of a glass ceiling and the magnitude of a gender pay gap, with respect to the upper echelons of management in the Fortune 100 companies The results show that the glass ceiling is far from being shattered in the executive suite of the nation's largest companies as women currently hold only 58 percent of the top positions However, the glass ceiling is showing signs of weakness as this represents twice the rate from just a few years ago For women having reached the top levels of management, no gender pay gap exists as females overall are paid virtually the same as their male counterparts These findings suggest that, when appointing and rewarding key executives, many corporate boards rightfully recognize that employee value and ability trump gender Perhaps this gender-neutral tone at the top will serve as a beacon for the elimination of gender bias at all levels of employment INTRODUCTION Three terms, the glass ceiling, comparable worth, and the gender pay gap, have commonly been used to describe some of the challenges women face in the workplace The glass ceiling represents a "metaphorical barrier preventing women from rising to the highest organizational levels (Daily and Dalton, 1999, p 4)" Catalyst, a New York based organization dedicated to the advancement of women in business, notes that only 61 (25 percent) of the 2,458 most highly paid executives in the Fortune 500 companies are women ( Women 's International Network News, 1 998) Male executives surveyed by Catalyst noted that lack of experience is the primary reason women are advancing to top management positions in such low numbers Although female managers responding to the same survey stated that lack of experience is a stumbling block for women, they believed it was secondary to "male stereotyping" of women as the top impediment to corporate advancement for women (Leonard, 1996) Comparable worth is a term frequently used inappropriately to describe the general notion of equal pay for equal work In reality, comparable worth does not deal with equal pay for equal work but rather equal pay for equivalent, yet different, work Comparable worth implies that differential wage rates for predominantly male occupations (eg, construction work) and female occupations (eg, clerical work) are a subtle form of wage discrimination that undervalues traditional female occupations (Jennings and Willits, 1986) Advocates of comparable worth argue that salaries should be equal for jobs that provide equivalent value to an organization, despite differences in skills, education, working conditions, or responsibility The problem with comparable worth is how does one determine the equivalent value to an organization? Implementing comparable worth pay scales typically requires government intervention and the results often lead to surpluses in some fields and shortages in others Weidenbaum (1999) notes that the most extensive use of comparable worth has been in the public school systems where teachers are paid not according to the subject areas taught but according to their seniority and level of education Thus, science teachers are paid the same as gym teachers, which results in a shortage of science teachers and a surplus of gym teachers Although a noble concept, opponents of comparable worth believe that market forces, not government intervention, are best suited for setting the value of occupations The gender pay gap refers to the notion that men on average earn more than women Blau and Kahn (2000) note that the weekly earnings ratio of full-time female workers to male workers was constant at about 60 percent from the late 1950' s to 1980 This gender pay ratio began to rise in the early 19 80' s and by 1995 it had climbed to about 75 percent However, the ratio's upward progression appears to have stalled around 1995, and significant gains have not occurred since that time (Blau and Kahn, 2000) …

Behind the veil: an exploratory study of the myths and realities of women in the Iranian workforce

Abstract: Despite significant advancements, women executives and professionals have continued to complain about the existence of a glass ceiling in the UK, the USA, Canada and other countries that espouse equal employment opportunities. Little is known about the role and plight of women in the workforce in Islamic countries. In general, Western societies perceive the participation of women in the workforce and their upward career mobility as very limited in Islamic societies. This article seeks to address this limitation in the field by unravelling some of the myths and realities pertaining to women in the Iranian labour force. Based on interviews with 12 Iranians, reality checks were performed on five widely held perceptions of the status of women in Iran, including women's participation in the labour force, appointment to managerial/professional positions, representation in higher education, segregation in the workplace, and Islam's attitude towards non-Muslims. These issues are discussed in the contexts of foreign direct investment in Iran and other Islamic countries. Implications for international human resource management, including the assignment of women expatriates to Iran and other Islamic nations, are also addressed.

The 13+ Club: An Index for Understanding, Documenting, and Resisting Patterns of Non-Promotion to Full Professor

Abstract: Despite increasing access to some faculty ranks, women faculty members continue to encounter a glass ceiling when it comes to achieving the rank of full professor. In this article, we introduce the 13+ Club Index as a way to understand, document, and resist patterns of non-promotion for women. Despite the utility of metrics for documenting issues in women’s advancement, many are difficult to come by and hard to interpret. As a result, women at an institution may feel that they can make no real progress because they do not have access to the data required to make their case. Using the concept of the 13+ Club—the faculty cohorts at an institution who are thirteen or more years past degree—we have developed an index to document patterns of non-promotion that overcomes these difficulties by relying exclusively on publicly accessible data. In the first part of this article, we introduce and describe the 13+ Club Index and detail some of the logistics of acquiring and constructing an index of non-promotion. Then we describe the way we have used this index at Rensselaer first to initiate and then to monitor change. We conclude with thoughts about how the 13+ Club Index can challenge institutions to examine the full scope of improving women’s advancement.

Discrimination: women in business

Abstract: Although great strides have been made in the last 20 years in overcoming discrimination against women, there is still a very long way to go and a lot of perceptions to change along the way. Discrimination in the business world toward women takes on many different forms and although they are all very destructive, some may be more visible than others. The glass ceiling is still an ever present obstacle in today's business environment. In only four sectors of the business world women seem to transcend this barrier. They are in consumer advertising and marketing, the beauty industry, local small businesses, and education (Peiss, 1998). Though this is a good start, it only represents a very small percentage of all business. Speculations exist as to why there are not more women in upper level management of companies, but when this question is looked at in a historical perspective, it is observed that 10 years ago women were having a difficult time just breaking into middle management (MacRae, 2005). The purpose of this paper is to look at some areas of discrimination toward women in business, some areas of opportunity for women to overcome discrimination, and some ways for women to overcome discrimination and move forward. STATISTICS OF WOMEN IN BUSINESS In a recent study it was found that a whopping 66% of the United States workforce was made up of women, with only 21% at the middle management level and a dismal 15% at the senior management level (Veale & Gold, 1998). The women in today's workforce seem to still be going the way of their female predecessors, that is to say, they are concentrated most heavily within the caring or humanities industries (Veale & Gold, 1998). This could be because of the almost inborn caring nature of women or because that is what society at large has deemed to be the most acceptable positions for women in America. Although the gap between men and women in management careers is closing, the glass ceiling is still very evident in today's business environment. The fact remains that there are still significantly more men in management positions than women (Wentling, 2003). The one exception to this can be seen in the educational arena where elementary school principals tend to be mostly women (Cai & Kleiner, 1999). In fact, the number of women in leadership roles within their career is less than 30%. Some people believe that this issue is linked to the fact that management in and of itself has been traditionally thought of as a male occupation and, thus, is not suitable for a woman as a choice of profession (Cai & Kleiner, 1999). GENDER BASED STEREOTYPING Gender based stereotyping is solely based on opinions and perceptions and not on facts. One of the most common stereotypes men put on women is that they are not as good at problem solving as their male counterparts. This is especially unfortunate when the fact is considered that this is one of the main objectives of successful managers (Catalyst, 2005). A study reveals that stereotypically the difference between women and men is that women take care and men take charge (Catalyst, 2005). However, research shows that when people have preconceived notions about someone, they are more likely to find and remember those fallacies about those people. This is to say that if you believe that everyone from culture Y is a follower and not as decisive as you and your fellow culture Xers, then when you see someone from culture Y demonstrating one of these characteristics, that is what tends to be remembered. Women see this phenomenon more specifically in traditionally male professions such as construction. Although a man will make the same mistake as a woman, the men that she works with will hold her at a higher standard and remember that one instance of a shortcoming (Catalyst, 2005). In fact people will many times consciously reject any new information that goes against their preconceived notions of that group. …

Gender stereotypes: A barrier for career development of women in construction

Abstract: Although women representation in managerial positions is gradually increasing, the phenomenon of women being restricted to lower levels, under the glass ceiling effect is still valid in many countries. Different studies in several countries show that the increase of women in managerial positions is unbalanced compared to the total number of the workforce. According to the recent statistics, women managerial representation is less than 1% of the total construction work force in the UK. Several barriers for women’s career advancement have been identified, most notably gender stereotypes. The stereotypical belief is that if women in managerial positions possess traditional male characteristic it is a better predictor for success, which reinforces the belief of “think manager-think male” and this discriminates women from reaching the higher positions with characteristics commonly associated with females. Since construction is one of the highest male dominated industries, the effect of stereotypes as a barrier for women’s career progression in construction is salient. This paper reviews academic literature on gender stereotypes and its consequent effects on women managers. It attempts to discover the pertinent issues for women in the construction industry in order to reduce the stereotypical image.

Who's Calling the Shots? Women Coaches in Division I Women's Sports n

Abstract: Objective. During the past 30 years, women have become an increasingly small proportion of coaches of women’s sports. We test several explanations for why some institutions have women coaches and others do not. Methods. Taking the 329 NCAA Division I institutions with women’s sports programs as the cases in point, we explore possible explanations for the dearth of women coaches: the resources and prestige of an institution or sport; the gender of the athletic director; and institutional traditionalism. Results. Within Division I schools, women coaches are more frequently found in more prestigious, resource-richer institutions and those that devote more resources to women’s sports. Conclusions. Although the analysis is confined to Division I schools, it appears that more institutional and organizational efforts need to be made to increase the number of women in the eligible pools for head coaching jobs. Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 mandated equality between men’s and women’s college sports. Since then, as women’s sports have skyrocketed in participation and popularity, the proportion of women’s teams coached by women has plummeted. In 1972, approximately 90 percent of the members of the coaching staffs for women’s teams nationwide were women, but by 2006 that figure had dropped all the way to 42 percent (Carpenter and Acosta, 2006; Wilson, 2007). This trend runs directly counter to the progress that women made during the same period in many traditionally masculine occupations (see Wharton, 2000; Padavic and Reskin, 2002, for a recent review). Although a glass ceiling still exists in many occupations, women’s share of professional and leadership positions in business, politics, and religion has grown markedly since the 1970s and women have made significant inroads into prestigious professions such as medicine and law. Women have also increased their representation and clout in academia. They now constitute the majority of undergraduate students, and their share of graduate and professional students, faculty members,

Gendered career rein : a gender analysis of the certification process of auditors in Sweden

Abstract: It has been claimed that the accounting and auditing business is a gendered industry. Even though as many women as men enter the business, high positions such as partnerships still largely appear to be a privilege for men. Earlier research has indicated that this selection process starts early on the career ladder. In this article we investigate the gendered character of the early phase of qualification to become a certified auditor. Using a gender perspective and social capital conceptions we offer a set of hypotheses that predict certification time, with special emphasis on the gendered character of the factors. We test the hypotheses on the population of newly certified auditors in Sweden. The results indicate that there are differences between the sexes, but that the factors even out, implying no important difference in certification time. We conclude that auditors of both sexes are subject to gendering processes that influence their certification time before they enter the auditing firm, mainly through family and school attendance variables, and they continue to experience gendered processes within the firm. Thus, we need to acknowledge not only the ‘glass ceiling’ within organizations, but also the gendered ‘career rein’ on individuals.

Docentes e investigadoras en las universidades españolas: Visibilizando techos de cristal

Abstract: We will begin by defining the "glass ceiling", the subtle "invisible" barriers that make it difficult for the promotion of women to positions of power. I outlined some historial notes showing the presence of woman in the origins of Science, and the presence of impediments and prohibitions that she suffered for thousands of years. Discrimination continued with the creation of the University, the footprints of which can still be seen.Next we will take a look at the main body of our work: the present data, both quantitative an qualitative graphically show that the majority of students in universities are women, but have very little presence in the positions of power. We will conclude by showing some strategies of intervention in orden to break the glass ceiling that impedes, or prevents, the professional promotion of women.

Addressing the “gender gap” in the managerial labour market: The case of scientific small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the North East of England

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the “gender management gap” in the scientific labour market in the North East of England. The paper seeks to compare and contrast employment, ownership, management structure and capacity between men and women in the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) sector.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical investigation is based on a survey of 60 SET‐based small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), operating in the North East of England.Findings – The results show that women are particularly under‐represented in managerial and senior positions of scientific nature in the private sector in the North East of England. The “glass ceiling” effect appears to be widespread.Research limitations/implications – There are very limited empirical data and research on the nature and level of participation of women in the scientific managerial labour market at firm level in the UK. There is a need for more rigorous research at firm and regional levels to examine the cumulative e...

Working beyond the glass ceiling: women managers in initial teacher training in England

Abstract: Recently in England, women have been successful in obtaining managerial responsibilities in the field of teacher training. In this setting at least, it could be argued that the glass ceiling that has kept women in lower-paid and lower status posts has been shattered. In order to explore this proposition from the perspective of those who work as managers in teacher training, this paper draws on a series of in-depth interviews with eleven women managers who work in six different higher educational institutions (HEIs) in England. Two contextualising factors inform the background to this paper: one is the gendered history of management in teacher training; the second is the impact of public sector reform, which has significant outcomes for those who manage the educational workplace. The paper argues that women are moving into positions of authority in teacher training across the board. However, the category of ‘women managers’ in teacher training is complex and internally differentiated. Even though, once again the gender composition of those who manage teacher training is changing passing through the glass ceiling in new managerialist times, may not be equally rewarding for all women who manage teacher training.

Women in Business: The Changing Face of Leadership

Abstract: Female executives of large companies are still in short supply in the U.S., but they have made great strides in recent years and their number is growing. Patricia Werhane and four other leadership experts interviewed twenty-two prominent women-including executives at Kraft, Boeing, and Harley Davidson-to uncover their leadership styles, reveal their most effective practices, and find out how they broke through the glass ceiling. This celebration of stellar executives highlights their achievements, the values and visions that guide them, and the contributions they've made to both their companies and industries. Besides enjoying fascinating stories, readers-both men and women-will gain insights that help them manage and lead better. Despite enormous strides in the status of women in business, female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies can be counted on two hands, and less than 15 percent of Fortune 500 board seats are held by women. These daunting statistics, however, belie another phenomenon: The iceberg of male domination in the boardroom is beginning to break up and melt. More and more women are assuming positions of real leadership. And it's none too soon. With the increasing diversity of the workforce, businesses need the wisdom successful female executives can offer. To encourage more women to step up to the plate, this book tells many stories of perseverance and inventiveness. But it digs deeper to reveal common qualities and characteristics that reflect a style of leadership that is in stark contrast-in every major dimension, from communication styles to team building to crisis management-to the traditional, white-male model that has dominated practice, theory, and management education. While men tend to be transactional leaders, the women profiled in this book are nothing less than inspiring, transformational leaders. The result is an incisive, engaging, thought-provoking, and ultimately empowering narrative that will serve as a guide for women now entering, progressing, and leading in the workplace-as well as the men with whom they work.

Gender and Management

Abstract: Until relatively recently, gender diversity was not taken into consideration, and companies have not known how to take advantage of it. Women did not receive the same education as men and there was one simple reason for this: it was unquestioningly assumed that women were inferior to men and as a result did not need a man’s education to prepare them to be able to transform and change the world.

Introduction to the special issue: Dual-career couples

Abstract: Dual career couples are experiencing a renewed attention by researchers for at least three different reasons. Firstly, the increasing women's labour force participation throughout the family formation years, particularly among well educated women, opens the question whether something has changed both in gender arrangements within couples and in career patterns in the labour market and particularly in the im- permeability of the "glass ceiling" that used to block women's upward mobility. Se- condly, when both partners in a household invest in paid work the question arises concerning who is going to do all the unpaid work otherwise performed by women, for the household but also for kin and sometimes community. What is the quality of life of households, communities, societies in a world where all adults invest most of their energies in paid work? Thirdly, the divergent patterns of women's labour force participation, together with the prevalence of homogamous marriages, raise con- cerns on the risks of a possible strengthening of social inequalities. As the interest for dual career couples remains fairly sustained and trespasses the boundaries of the sociology of the family within which has long remained confined, the "dual career couple" concept becomes however more elusive. Strictu senso, dual career couples should refer only to couples in which both partners are involved in an upward mobile professional trajectory (Hiller and Dyehouse 1987, Levy et al. in this issue). Neither all dual earner couples nor all the well-educated ones are necessarily also dual career ones in this sense. Clement and Clement (2001) add an additional requirement for being defined a dual career couple strictu senso: that of having children, that is of having caring responsibilities. According to their concept, there- fore, dual career couples are defined by the fact that both partners are highly quali- fied, and follow their career path while not renouncing having children and a satis- fying family life. On the basis of this narrow definition, the number of dual career couples might be quite small, and insufficient for a quantitative research approach. Furthermore, while research on dual career couples focuses mainly on the couple's dynamics and more or less asymmetrical interdependencies, the possibility that one or both the partner have a career does not depend only on negotiations and power relations within the couple, that is on its gender culture and arrangements. It de- pends also on the labour market and on the institutional framework within which couples develop their negotiations and take their decisions. The labour market and