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women and the economy
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Senior Researchers
Sumru Erkut, Ph.D.
Sumru Erkut, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Scientist and Associate Director
of the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College where her work
focuses on gender equity and racial/ethnic diversity on a number of topics,
including leadership. Her employment-related research has included a study
of the sales force of a high technology company and an examination of
the impact of corporate restructuring and downsizing on women and minority
managers' upward mobility under a contract from the U.S. Department of
Labor, Glass Ceiling Commission. Dr. Erkut consults to corporations, educational
institutions, and social service agencies. She received her doctorate
in social psychology from Harvard University.
Catherine Roberts, Ed.D.
Catherine Roberts, Ed.D. is the Project Associate for the Women Leaders Project at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College. Her research projects have included a focus on gender and sexual orientation in the education of girls and women. She received her doctorate from Harvard University having completed her dissertation on the adolescent development of nineteenth-century girls with Carol Gilligan.
Executive Summary
This report summarizes a study of top women leaders in the United States carried out jointly by the Winds of Change Foundation and Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College. The study was originally conceived to help Winds of Change understand the barriers and facilitators to successful women's leadership, and opportunities for support. The project turned into both a learning experience and an opportunity for self-reflection for all of the women involved in the research, development, and writing of the report. The women we interviewed were ordinary women with extraordinary accomplishments. We could easily relate to them, which made the lessons of their accomplishments all the more relevant to our lives and, we hope, to the lives of others. Our goal in preparing this report is to convince readers, as we became convinced ourselves, that the example these women set is attainable. Moreover, their experiences have illuminated a brighter path for those who aspire to follow them, and lead.