Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders

For social scientists and general readers, Eagly (psychology, Northwestern U.) and Carli (psychology, Wellesley College) replace the idea of the glass ceiling with one of the challenging yet solvable labyrinth, and examine women's struggles to achieve powerful roles in the workplace. They consider why women have been excluded from leadership and why they have gained increasing access, through literature from psychology, economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, and management and organizations, and other sources, such as anecdotes, journalists' reports, biographies, memoirs, and individuals' personal recollections. Each chapter addresses a specific question, including how far women have come as leaders, whether they are underrepresented because of qualities they lack, the issue of domestic responsibilities, discrimination, stereotypes and prejudices, resistance to female leadership, differences in leadership style, and whether organizations have traditions and practices that create obstacles. The final chapters consider how women successfully get through the labyrinth and what the consequences are of having women in leadership positions at all levels. Indexes are divided by subject and author. Annotation 穢2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)