Women and Leadership Around the World (HC)

A volume in Women and Leadership: Research Theory and PracticeSeries Editors Faith Wambura Ngunjiri Susan R. Madsen Karen A. LongmanWomen and Leadership around the World is the third volume in a new series of books (Women andLeadership: Research Theory and Practice) that will is now being published to inform leadershipscholars and practitioners. The purpose of this volume is to explore areas of women's leadership in fourregions around the world: the Middle East Europe North America and Asia Pacific. Hence we haveincluded 14 chapters that cover a wide range of important topics relevant to women and leadership withinspecific contexts around the world. Our goal for this volume is to provide readers with explorations ofwomen's experiences as leaders including recent research studies analysis and interpretation of statisticsunpacking the status of women in various sectors and countries stories of influential women leaders withnational or local spheres of influence and including recommendations for positive change to increasewomen's access to positions of authority. The volume contributors use various theories andconceptualizations to problematize historicize and analyze women's limited access to power and their agency as leaders from the grassroots to thenational scene from education to non-profits and business organizations.Overall the book contributes interpretations of the status of women in various countries presenting the stories behind the numbers and statistics anduncovering not only challenges but also opportunities for resiliency and effectiveness as leaders. The authors offer recommendations for change thatcross national boundaries such as structural changes in organizations that would open the door for more women to access positions of authority and beeffective as leaders. It is rare to find a book with such a diverse array of topics and countries making this a timely contribution to the literature onwomen and leadership. The authors remind us to continue to expand the literature base on women and leadership drawing from both qualitative andquantitative studies as well as conceptual explorations of women as leaders in different countries regions indigenous communities and acrossdifferent sectors. The more we know the better informed will be our efforts to create appropriate leadership development activities and experiences foremerging women leaders and girls around the world. This book contributes significantly to that veryeffort.