QUO VADIS, WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT? Available to Purchase

Two research studies, conducted in 1984 and 1992 respectively,examined the position of women in management within the Australian private sector to determine if women had made occupational progress or,like some other groups, had regressed or just maintained a status quo position. The results revealed that women had not improved their position in management over the nine‐year period. While there were more women in supervisory positions, there were fewer women in all levels of management. Some shifts had been made by the women in their management functional areas‐that is a movement out of “soft” management areas and into more mainstream areas, while women were also being given more opportunities to attend both internal and external training programmes sponsored by their organizations. However, women managers had still not achieved pay parity, while fewer women were receiving promotion to management or within management compared with 1984. Nor were any major improvements seen in the numbers of women being sent on“élite” management training programmes. The research concluded that women′s progress in management was“stalled” within these Australian companies. Women had two options, if they wished to achieve the ultimate in their careers. They could leave and open their own business, but risk further marginalization owing to the nature of their self‐employment. Or they could stay and attempt to change the organizational culture by enlisting the support of other managerial women as well as policy makers. A“renaissance” in both policy and strategy is needed, if Australian managerial women are going to achieve their full potential within the Australian commercial and corporate sector.