The Difference “Difference” Makes: Women and Leadership

by Deborah L. Rhode

Why are women so dramatically underrepresented in formal leadership positions—and what can be done to improve the situation? This unique collection takes up these questions in the crucial practical concepts of law, politics, and business—the arenas in which women’s leadership has the most public influence. Bridging the worlds of theory and practice, the essays in this collection bring new insights to long-standing questions about the difference gender difference makes, both in access to leadership and in its exercise. The contributors to this collection represent some of the nation’s most distinguished women leaders and most respected scholars on women and leadership, and reflect a distinctive array of perspectives and backgrounds. Among others, they include former Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder; former NOW president Patricia Ireland; the Right Honorable Kim Campbell, former prime minister of Canada; and Judith Resnik, the Arthur Liman Professor of Law, Yale Law School. Written in accessible, lively prose, and informed by a wealth of scholarship and personal experience, this collection should appeal to a broad audience.

255 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2002

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rohde writes some of the best language I have read to date RE: the business case for diversity in organizations. She discusses why there are so few women in top leadership positions, discusses some potential reasons why, and offers some potential solutions, all based in data. The essays that follow are powerful, readable and extremely though provoking.