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Examines managerial and professional women′s participation in a variety of education, training and development activities and the usefulness and impact of such activities. Managerial women rated developmental relationships (sponsors, mentors) most useful, though these activities were not commonly available to them. Participation in and perceived usefulness of these activities were related to work and career outcomes, controlling for relevant personal and organizational characteristics.

Examines benefits of mentoring relationships in organizations from the perspective of mentors. A model which included personal and situational antecedents of mentoring, as well as personal and organizational consequences of mentoring was developed, based on previous research findings. Data were obtained from 94 mentors employed in seven high technology firms using questionnaires. Support was found for the proposed research model. Mentor‐protégé similarity emerged as an important predictor of mentor functions. Proposes practical implications of the findings for organizations and future directions for mentoring research.

The recent years have been marked by the increasing participation of women in the labour force internationally. Especially in the industrialised countries of Western Europe and North America, this labour force participation is now well over 40%. Globally, however, the estimate is around 33%. A large number of these women are still found in the agriculture sector and the informal sector of industry. For those working in the formal industrial sector, a significant portion work in the shopfloor of assembly line operations for products ranging from electronics to textiles. Women in management comprise less than 1% of all economically active women. For the purposes of this paper, a “manager” is defined as a person who has latitude in decision making as to the allocation and use of organisational resources, including physical, financial, and human resources.

Data from a 1989 survey of over 600 middle‐level managers in a large Canadian corporation were analysed to examine the characteristics of jobs held by career‐family and career‐primary men and women. Hypotheses were developed based on human capital theory, statistical discrimination theory, and gender role congruence theory. Examining career outcomes suggested that participation in household labour had a significantly more negative association with men's hierarchical level than with women's. Implications for theory and suggestions for research are discussed.

Employees who become pregnant should be aware of their legal employment rights. Examines the minima which are currently provided and the plans to change these rights, through legislation introduced by the EC. Sets out in particular the time‐limits which must be complied with and the problems facing employees who find that they are pregnant.

The February issue of the National Westminster Bank's Quarterly Review contains an article by Lynne Evans entitled “The ‘Demographic ‐ Dip’: A Golden Opportunity for Women in the Labour Market?”

In the U.S. private sector, women are less likely than men to be union members. This study analyses a unique na‐tional survey (conducted in 1984) to determine if women are less interested than men in unionising or if, instead, they are equally interested but face higher barriers to unionisation. The results support the latter interpretation. In particular, non‐union women in private sector white‐col‐lar jobs (representing over half of the female non‐union, work force) expressed more interest than comparable men in joining unions. This finding appears to reflect more optimism among the women in this group than among the men about what unions can accomplish; it is not explained by gender differences in attitudes toward jobs or em‐ployers. The authors discount theories that family respon‐sibilities, or concerns of female workers that set them apart from men, present special barriers to unionisation.

Women in Management Review Volume 9 No. 1 of this journal contains five articles of interest. In the first, entitled “Power, Sex and Systems”, Virginia E. Schein examines the power‐related properties of professional and organisational systems and considers their influence on reactions to sexual harassment. It is argued that, when the socio‐cultural power model of male dominance operates within pluralistic/political professional and organisational systems, these systems can become breeding‐grounds for sexual harassment behaviours that are tolerated rather than told on. A contrast between careers within systems and less system bound jobs illustrates the influence of context on decisions to tell or tolerate.

Volume 15 Number 4 of Industrial & Social Relations includes an article by Catherine O'Regan and Clive Thompson entitled “Collective Bargaining and the promotion of equality for women in South Africa”.

This is the title of an article by Sheila Rothwell in Vol. 91 No. 1 of the European Business Review. The developments in working trends, problems, legislation, and research in the context of equal opportunities in employment in the 1980s are examined. Attempted policy changes are detailed in the following areas: education, training, employment, trade unions, and social policy. There is discussion of three themes which have been the subject of debate: conforming to the male career model; obtaining greater recognition for “female” qualities, skills and attributes; and emphasis on a common humanity and maximising choices for both women and men. The likelihood of the success of each is discussed, and the third approach is supported. The implications for management development specialists are examined.