What it's about...
Women are closing the gender gap at all levels of employment. All levels, that is, except top leadership positions: while women outnumber men in universities and in the first 10 years of top paying jobs, there is a sudden drop in numbers at top management levels. That is where the glass ceiling suddenly appears. Women have, sometimes more than their male counterparts, a need for balance. While men seem to walk through their lives in a straight line, women often need to juggle time and energies from different areas of their existence and then carry the burden (and the joy) of integrating them all. In this groundbreaking work the authors explore the lives and thoughts of remarkable women in leadership positions in South East Asia. What actions have enabled them to reach top leadership positions? What kind of infrastructure and support systems in organizations contribute to women s leadership? Along the way the authors offer a new theory: women who have threaded the path of leadership have found ways to successfully integrate all aspects of their lives. So the issue isn t so much whether women can have it all, but rather how to integrate it all and each woman succeeds at it in her own individual way. Some do it by aptly surrounding themselves with supportive environments that can help them through the first years of childrearing, others by boldly seeking opportunities and demanding promotions without undermining their femininity. Be inspired by the stories of these great women who don t separate life from work in a surgical manner. As a result, they are all passionate for what they do, which in turn gives them the power to influence the outside world, make an impact and leave an indelible mark.