Both the practitioner and academic communities have voiced strong opinions regarding the progress of women in reaching the executive suite and the corporate boardroom. Proponents on each side of the current debate offer evidence suggesting the accuracy of their respective positions. One view holds: "The fight is over. The battle is won. Women are now accepted as outside directors in the preponderance of corporate boardrooms" (Lear, 1994: 10). An alternative perspective, however, suggests there is much progress left. An illustration of the type of remaining barriers is provided by T. J. Rodgers, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. , who has commented that "a 'woman's view' on how to run our semiconductor company does not help us" (Rodgers, 1996: 14). Regardless of where one falls along the spectrum anchored at one end by the view that women have made substantial progress in reaching the upper echelons of corporations and anchored at the other end by the view that women have barely begun to penetrate the "inner sanctum" of corporations, the central issue is the extent to which women have succeeded in cracking the proverbial "glass ceiling. " The glass ceiling is a metaphorical barrier which prevents women from attaining the upper-most organizational positions (e. g. , Karr, 1991; Morrison, White, Van Velsor, and the Center for Creative Leadership, 1992; Powell & Butterfield, 1994; U. S. Department of Labor, 1991).

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Contributors. Part One: Women Corporate Directors: A Research Appraisal. Women Corporate Boards of Directors: Where Do We Go From Here? R.J. Burke, M.C. Mattis. The Future of Corporate Women: Progress Toward the Executive Suite and the Boardroom? C.M. Daily, S. Trevis Certo, D.R. Dalton. Building the Business Case for Women Corporate Directors; D. Bilimoria. Part Two: International Research Findings. Women Corporate Directors in the United States; M.C. Mattis. Making it to the Top in Britain; S. Vinnicombe, V. Singh, J. Sturges. The Paradox of Affirmative Action for Women Directors in Israel; D. Izraeli. Women on Canadian Corporate Boards of Directors: Still a Long Way to Go; R.J. Burke. What Distinguishes Women Non-executive Directors From Executive Directors? Individual, Interpersonal and Organizational Factors Related to Women's Appointments to Boards; Z.M. Burgess, P. Tharenou. The New Zealand Experiment - Training to be on Board as a Director; J. McGregor. Taking a Seat on the Board: Women Directors in Britain; V.M. Holton. Company Size, Board Size and Numbers of Women Corporate Directors; R.J. Burke. Part Three: Women Directors and Board Dynamics. Women on Boards of Directors: Gender Bias or Power Threat? N. Fondas. Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: Understanding the Context; R.J. Burke. The Experiences of White Women on Corporate Boards in Canada: Compliance and Non-compliance to Hegemonic Masculinity; P. Bradshaw, D. Wicks. Public Sector Board Composition in Australia: Leading the Way? D.K. Conroy. Part Four: Views of Corporate Directors. From Male Locker Room to Co-ed Board Room: A Twenty-five Year Perspective; C.C. Selby. Making Boards Work: Recruiting forBalance, Competence and Results; D. Leighton. Catalyst Corporate Board Placement: New Seats at the Table; M. Pollak. Index.