Shared research is allocated for sharing reports from ongoing research conducted by the Winds of Change Foundation as well as other organizations, institutions and individuals with a focus on understanding, promoting and advancing the field of women and leadership.

If you would like to share your research, please contact Lauri J. Slavitt, Esq.

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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.

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Wellesley Publication

The following is an excerpt from 'Learning from Women Leaders', by Sumru Erkut, Ph.D.

In 1999, women made up nearly half of the paid labor force and of managers. Yet, in the same year, only 11.9% of corporate officers, 11.2% of board directors, 5.1% of highest titles, 3.3% of top earners, 2 Fortune 500 CEOs were women. Additionally, only 12.1% of the seats in the 106th U.S. Congress were held by women. How can we can we increase the numbers of women in top leadership positions? In 2000, the Winds of Change Foundation initiated a study of women leaders in collaboration with the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College. Our project sought to learn from the experiences of women who are leaders by virtue their accomplishments in their work about how other women can rise to leadership positions.

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