Women and Leadership

Discussions and scholarly literature on women and leadership include a focus on women’s limited representation in leadership positions and related challenges, as well as the contexts and characteristics that affect women’s leadership success. Women constitute almost one half of the current U.S. labor force. They earn at least one third of advanced degrees, including law and medical degrees, and their participation in the workforce of industrialized societies is increasing substantially. However, they are still significantly underrepresented in leadership positions, especially in politics. Women still contend with what is known as a glass ceiling, which prevents them from accessing leadership positions. Sixty-five percent of companies have at least one woman on their corporate board, yet only 24% have women among their top five executives. Men are ...