Can Women Have it All? : Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Career and Family for Top Corporate Executives

The role of women in American society has shifted greatly over the past fifty years. Women today are much more likely to be employed outside the home than in past generations. Fortunately for these female workers, women now achieve more favorable employment outcomes than their predecessors. Women have attained higher levels of education in recent generations and there has been a dramatic increase in the number of women doctors and lawyers since the 1970s. Women have made similar progress in corporate America. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, between 1972 and 1995 the percentage of managerial positions held by women increased from 17 to 42.7 percent. Women have also become increasingly likely to be top executives of major companies. Still, there is ample evidence of continued gender inequality in employment. In particular, women are far less likely than men to achieve career success at the highest levels of corporate America. In 2001, women held only 11 percent of the top executive positions of Fortune 100 companies. Additionally, women are especially under-represented at the most powerful executive ranks of CEO, Chair and President. Although the media and organizations such as Catalyst have reported at length about the careers of women, little is known about women executives at the highest levels who have achieved extremely successful careers in this overwhelmingly male environment. This paper presents the first systematic study of the family structures of women and men top executives of publicly owned companies. This study is important for several reasons. These executives are extremely influential and through their companies control\ud enormous amounts of assets. Additionally, their attitudes regarding social and family issues may be expected to have important implications for the personnel policies that influence millions of workers and their families