The Last Male Bastion – Gender and the CEO Suite at America’s Public Companies

Abstract

The title of this book is a proper summation if its contents. While women have made great inroads in other areas of power and leadership, such as politics or academic administration, they remain by and large shut out of the boardrooms and corner offices of United States public corporations. Those few who do reach CEO status (there have been 21, including Jill Barad, the first, in 1997) often find their tenure short and securing another position of equal prestige and power very difficult. This book profiles the women who have become CEOs, examines how they got there, and attempts to distill some of the reasons for their success that may serve as lessons for other women who aspire to powerful positions.

Keywords: sex discrimination, corporations, leadership, corporate culture, gender equity, corporate policy, sexism, U.S. public companies, United States