Article Summary on Management

Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership

Alice H . Eagly and Linda L . Carli

Harvard Business Review

September 2007

Statement of the article

Women rarely make it to the C-suite . They occupy 40 percent of all managerial positions in the United States but only 6 percent of the top executives are female . The research conducted by Eagly and Carli concludes that this is not due to any glass ceiling , or being blocked just below the summit , but owing to the sum of many obstacles along the way , which includes discrimination operating

at all ranks

Statement of the research question

The research probes the question of what is to blame for the pronounced lack of women in positions of power and authority and highlights the need to intervene on multiple fronts to solve the problem

Theoretical perspectives

Extensive academic and government research studies identify many prejudices such as prejudice , resistance to women 's leadership leadership style issues , and family demands that stand in the way of women advancing to the top echelons . Statistics also substantiate this trend

Summary of findings

The research conducted by Eagly and Carli concludes that the lesser number of women in the top echelons is not due to any glass ceiling or due to their being blocked just below the summit , but owing to the sum of many obstacles along the way , which includes discrimination operating at all ranks

An effective cure is unlikely for a misdiagnosed a problem , and this explains the scarcity of women in top...