Women on Corporate Boards of Directors

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Women Corporate Directors: A Research Appraisal

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: Where do We go from Here?

      • Ronald J. Burke, Mary C. Mattis

      Pages 3-10

   3. The Future of Corporate Women

      • Catherine M. Daily, S. Trevis Certo, Dan R. Dalton

      Pages 11-23

   4. Building the Business Case for Women Corporate Directors

      • Diana Bilimoria

      Pages 25-40

3. International Research Findings

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 41-41

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   2. Women Corporate Directors in the United States

      • Mary C. Mattis

      Pages 43-56

   3. Making It to the Top in Britain

      • S. Vinnicombe, V. Singh, J. Sturges

      Pages 57-73

   4. The Paradox of Affirmative Action for Women Directors in Israel

      • Dafna Izraeli

      Pages 75-96

   5. Women on Canadian Corporate Boards of Directors: Still a Long Way to go

      • Ronald J. Burke

      Pages 97-109

   6. What Distinguishes Women Nonexecutive Directors from Executive Directors?

      • Zena M. Burgess, Phyllis Tharenou

      Pages 111-127

   7. The New Zealand Experiment-Training to be on Board as a Director

      • Judy Mcgregor

      Pages 129-144

   8. Taking a Seat on the Board: Women Directors in Britain

      • V. M. Holton

      Pages 145-155

   9. Company Size, Board Size and Numbers of Women Corporate Directors

      • Ronald J. Burke

      Pages 157-167

4. Women Directors and Board Dynamics

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 169-169

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   2. Women on Boards of Directors: Gender Bias or Power Threat?

      • Nanette Fondas

      Pages 171-177

   3. Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: Understanding the Context

      • Ronald J. Burke

      Pages 179-196

   4. The Experiences of White Women on Corporate Boards in Canada

      • Patricia Bradshaw, David Wicks

      Pages 197-212

   5. Public Sector Board Composition in Australia: Leading the Way

      • Denise K. Conroy

      Pages 213-235

5. Views of Corporate Directors

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 237-237

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Both the practitioner and academic communities have voiced strong opinions regarding the progress of women in reaching the executive suite and the corporate boardroom. Proponents on each side of the current debate offer evidence suggesting the accuracy of their respective positions. One view holds: "The fight is over. The battle is won. Women are now accepted as outside directors in the preponderance of corporate boardrooms" (Lear, 1994: 10). An alternative perspective, however, suggests there is much progress left. An illustration of the type of remaining barriers is provided by T. J. Rodgers, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. , who has commented that "a 'woman's view' on how to run our semiconductor company does not help us" (Rodgers, 1996: 14). Regardless of where one falls along the spectrum anchored at one end by the view that women have made substantial progress in reaching the upper echelons of corporations and anchored at the other end by the view that women have barely begun to penetrate the "inner sanctum" of corporations, the central issue is the extent to which women have succeeded in cracking the proverbial "glass ceiling. " The glass ceiling is a metaphorical barrier which prevents women from attaining the upper-most organizational positions (e. g. , Karr, 1991; Morrison, White, Van Velsor, and the Center for Creative Leadership, 1992; Powell & Butterfield, 1994; U. S. Department of Labor, 1991).

• Affirmative Action
• Compliance
• Gender
• Nation
• business

• School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada

  Ronald J. Burke

• Catalyst, New York City, USA

  Mary C. Mattis

Policies and ethics