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Only 1 per cent of top managers are women, despite the widespread introduction of equal opportunities policies. The Institute of Management decided last year to survey its own women members to establish a profile of the successful woman manager and to determine whether there are continuing barriers to the progress of women. The survey established that the remaining barriers are largely attitudinal and relate to the men′s club network. The results were used to draw up a series of recommendations for organizations serious about translating their equal opportunities rhetoric into practice.

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.

Draws on the results of recent Surveys which highlight the need for clear vision and sustained top management commitment in culture change. Suggests that in order to gain the necessary skills, management should adopt more of the attitudes, approaches, tools and techniques that have transformed management performance in benchmark companies. Uses the case of Rank Xerox to illustrate how a quality culture might be created.

Volume 8 Number 5 of Women in Management Review contains three articles. In the first, entitled “Gender Effects in Salary Increases: A Shifting Pendulum?” by Kenneth W. Thornicroft, the author maintains that a large number of studies suggest that in experimental reward allocation scenarios, females tend to under‐reward themselves vis‐a‐vis similarly situated males. However, the principal studies date from the 1970s and early 1980s. In the past decade there has been a substantial public policy effort, reflected in employment equity legislation and organisation‐level initiatives, targeting direct and systemic gen‐der‐based discriminatory practices. There is some evidence that gender‐ based discriminatory employment practices are receding. In this study, involving 127 undergraduate business administration students, the student allocator's gender was not a significant predictor of reward allocation behaviour. Even more provocative, the results suggest that a reward allocation bias systematically operated in favour of women.

Reports the findings of a combined survey of 16 large retailers, using a postal questionnaire and personal interviews. Researchers sought information regarding the proportion of women holding senior management positions and the approach and attitude of retail companies to the advancement of women. Results reveal no shortage of goodwill towards the provision of equal opportunities for women, with many responding companies actively pursuing policies aimed at improving the gender balance of their workforce. Findings suggest that non‐food retailers are likely to have more senior women than food retailers. Senior women interviewees confirmed that working conditions in retailing were a factor in the statistics, but they suggested that negative attitudes from staff and customers also play a part. The isolation of lone senior women was confirmed by personal interviews, and in‐company mentors were identified as a possible help in that regard. The problem of balancing a family and career remains while store managers are believed to be omnipresent.