WOMEN AND POWER

by Rosalind Miles ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 20, 1986

A look at contemporary women who roam the corridors of power, plus stories of selected women through history who have reached the pinnacle. What do powerful women have in common? How did they achieve power? How has it affected their lives? To find out, Miles interviewed 40 American and British women who are top-ranked in their fields. Her survey shows that most had warm, somewhat unusual fathers; mothers who cared little for domesticity; and 84% were inspired by a dynamic, loving grandmother. They were usually the first-born in their families, did well in school (a surprising number took ballet lessons and/or appeared in plays). About one-quarter had never married; those who did usually waited until at least age 25. Half had no children, and the vast majority limited themselves to one child. Most met considerable male resistance on their rise to the top; and when they got there, men tended to be very uncomfortable in their presence. And to a one, they enjoy the fruits of power but not its trappings--such as the big office, the company car. When asked ""What do you value most about your success?,"" the most common response was, ""The people I meet."" When male executives were asked the same question in another survey, a significant number listed the trappings: the corner office, the private elevator. Miles devotes much space to carping about male tendencies to refuse to consider women for responsible positions (sometimes on the grounds that they menstruate and have babies) and to keep them from their clubs and other enclaves where male power-holders congregate. In response, most of the women surveyed had joined networks or women's executive clubs. Her brief histories of Margaret Thatcher, Golda Meir, Indira Ghandi and others who have become superluminaries contain nothing new; but they seem to bear out her survey's findings. Her message--""The women are coming--with a great orgasmic roar!""--is shrill but quite persuasive. Despite a writing style that raises hackles, this book adds a subtle new dimension to current lore on the state of the modern woman.

Pub Date: Feb. 20, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Salem--dist. by Merrimack

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION