Search results

The entry of significant numbers of women into managerial positions over the past two decades has prompted considerable interest in their experiences and, more recently, in their progress through the various levels of management. An examination of the circumstances presently facing such women paints a discouraging picture: some investigations indicate that highly qualified, competent individuals feel disappointed and disillusioned with their experiences in organizations (Gallese, 1985; Hardesty, & Jacobs, 1986). Other reports suggest that female executives face formidable structural and attitudinal barriers which virtually preclude advancement to upper management echelons (Fierman, 1990; Morrison, White, & Van Velsor, 1987; Nicholson, & West, 1988). In addition, recent media accounts proclaim that massive numbers of corporate women are choosing to ‘bail out’ in favor of entrepreneurial self‐employment or full‐time homemaking (Maynard, 1988; Taylor, 1986).

Volume 64 Part 4 of the Journal of Occupational Psychology includes an article by Hazel M. Rosin and Karen Korabik entitled “Workplace variables, affective responses, and intention to leave among women managers”.

Recently, more and more North American women have been choosing to pursue careers in management and the professions. The invasion of women into these once exclusively masculine domains has been accompanied by a host of problems, many of which were unanticipated. In the articles presented here we examine the nature of these problems and provide some suggestions about what can be done to help resolve them.

Although getting along with people is just as important to being a good manager as being able to get the job done, according to the current stereotype the ideal manager is task‐oriented rather than person‐oriented. Here the importance of feminine qualities and interpersonal skills for managerial effectiveness are discussed. Interviews with 30 women managers illustrate the fact that women can approach management with a “masculine” (task‐oriented), “feminine” (people‐oriented), or an “androgynous” style which combines the two. The androgynous style is the one most likely to be successful.

A large scale survey of 391 women and 263 men managers produced no evidence for four common contentions about the attribution of women managers from organizations: (1) large numbers of women are “dropping out”, (2) women managers leave organizations primarily due to maternity and work‐family conflict, (3) more female than male managers are leaving organizations, and (4) managers who are mothers are less committed to their careers and to organizations. It appears that poor research methodology and failure to adopt a multivariate perspective have resulted in existing knowledge based more on fiction than fact.

This is the title of an article by Valerie Fawcett in Volume 15 Number 3 of Library Management. This programme has been helping many women in library and information work to fulfil their potential. Women who have taken part in this personal development course have become more confident and assertive, and their managers have found them more willing to put forward their ideas, take the initiative, and take on additional responsibilities. Many achieve promotion, but women set their own agenda on the course, decide what they want to achieve and the steps they need to take.

Quebec was the first Canadian jurisdiction to legislate on pay equality. It did so through the adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedom, in 1976, a passive legislation since it is based on complaints. It seems to be a matter of time before the Quebec Government passes a pro‐active legislation on pay equity and, in doing so, it will likely draw its inspiration from the Pay Equity Act (PEA) passed by the Ontario Government in 1987. One of PEAs important features is the emphasis on institutional structures and practices in determining the appropriate unit for the purpose of achieving pay equity. In practice, such units will often match up with the usual job families (e.g. clerical or office vs production jobs). However, the historical development of jobs families is intertwined with the evolution of occupational segregation between men and women in the labour markets.