Breaking into the Boardroom

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This is a reissue of a book privately published by the author as Why Jenny Can't Lead. Addressing primarily corporate male dominance and women's workplace problems, Melia, who conducts seminars on ``gender politics,'' here offers an incisive overview of life's power struggles from bear-cave to boardroom. A woman on a corporate management board becomes isolated and rendered ineffectual, she avers; yet at the same time Melia instructs women to shape up and not cry foul when treated ``unfairly'' by men. Despite noting what she considers to be inescapable biological and cultural gender differences (no woman yet ``has jumped out the window because her stocks dropped''), the author foresees a new ``powerful woman'' who will affect business, government, social and family life for the better. Some feminists will be dissatisfied, if not furious, at Melia's arguments. (January)