The Last Male Bastion : Gender and the CEO Suite in America’s Public Companies

Not until 1997 did a female become chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 corporation (Jill Barad, at Mattel Toy Co. Women’s progress since that time has been in fits and starts, exceedingly slow. The number of women CEOs reached 4 in 1999 only to slide back to 2 in 2001. Meanwhile, while not reaching anything approaching parity, women made significant strides in politics (as senators, cabinet secretaries and governors), in not-for-profit spheres (as CEOs of health care and hospital organizations or of United Way chapters, with budgets of billions of dollars), and at colleges and universities (23 % have female presidents or chancellors). Currently, 3%, or 15, of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. After examining in detail the educations, career progressions, pronouncements and observations, as well as family lives, of the 19 women who have risen to the top (sitting and former CEOs), this book asks, and attempts to answer, two questions: Why haven’t more women reached the CEO suite?How might women in business better position themselves to ascend to the pinnacle? Not Until 1997 Did A Female Become Chief Executive Officer Of A Fortune 500 Corporation. Women's Progress Since That Time Has Been In Fits And Starts, Exceedingly Slow. After Examining In Detail The Educations, Career Progressions, Pronouncements And Observations, As Well As Family Lives, Of The 19 Women Who Have Risen To The Top (sitting And Former Ceos), This Book Asks, And Attempts To Answer, Two Questions: Why Haven't More Women Reached The Ceo Suite? How Might Women In Business Better Position Themselves To Ascend To The Pinnacle?--jacket. The Fall Of Jill Barad At Mattel Toy -- Carleton Fiorina At Hewlett-packard -- A Ceo Success : Andrea Jung At Avon Products -- Plowhorse : Marion Sandler At Golden West Financial -- Anne Mulcahy At Xerox And Patricia Russo At Alcatel-lucent : Fix It Ceos -- Go Where They Aren’t -- Two Additional Ceo Portraits -- Five Who Leave Few Footprints -- Ceo Additions Of 2008-09 -- 10. Why Women? -- How We Choose Ceos -- Glass Ceilings, Floors, Walls, And Cliffs -- Work-life Issues And The Price Of Motherhood -- In A Different Register -- Legacies Of Tokenism : Retreats Into Stereotypes -- Narcissists, Malignant Narcissists, And Productive Narcissists -- Good-to-great Companies And Plowhorse Ceos -- The Plowhorse Versus The Showhorse -- Education, Mentoring, And Networking -- Lessons Learned -- Conclusion : Evolving A New Paradigm For A New Century. Douglas M. Branson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [219]-253) And Index. Book Cover......Page 0 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 18 Part I Portraits of Women CEOs......Page 20 1 The Fall of Jill Barad at Mattel Toy......Page 22 2 Carleton Fiorina at Hewlett-Packard......Page 32 3 A CEO Success—Andrea Jung at Avon Products......Page 52 4 Plowhorse—Marion Sandler at Golden West Financial......Page 60 5 Anne Mulcahy at Xerox and Patricia Russo at Alcatel-Lucent—Fix It CEOs......Page 70 6 Go Where They Aren’t......Page 84 7 Two Additional CEO Portraits......Page 97 8 Five Who Leave Few Footprints......Page 109 9 CEO Additions of 2008–09......Page 124 Part II Why There Aren’t More......Page 138 10 Why Women?......Page 140 11 How We Choose CEOs......Page 147 12 Glass Ceilings, Floors, Walls, and Cliffs......Page 153 13 Work–Life Issues and the Price of Motherhood......Page 159 14 In a Different Register......Page 174 15 Legacies of Tokenism: Retreats into Stereotypes......Page 182 Part III How to Get There......Page 190 16 Narcissists, Malignant Narcissists, and Productive Narcissists......Page 192 17 Good-to-Great Companies and Plowhorse CEOs......Page 200 18 The Plowhorse Versus the Showhorse......Page 207 19 Education, Mentoring, and Networking......Page 213 20 Lessons Learned......Page 225 21 Conclusion: Evolving a New Paradigm for a New Century......Page 233 Notes......Page 238 Index......Page 273 "Presents a systematic approach to the subject why, proportionaly, so few women occupy seats of power in public companies. This book examines a well-defined group (not random); defined by the single most important criteria, success; with success defined in one and only one way, as promotion to CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation"--Provided by publisher