Attitudes to women in management: an analysis of West Midlands businesses

Examines the attitudes of senior, predominantly male staff to women managers in a specific industrial setting ‐ namely the West Midlands region of the UK ‐ using data derived from the Price Waterhouse West Midlands Business Survey. The survey is unique in that it is focused on eliciting the opinions of the senior management level in companies. Finds women to be significantly under‐represented at the senior management level in West Midlands businesses. In a region which is characterized by heavy manufacturing industry, identifies differences in attitudes to women managers by the respondent’s industrial sector, size of company and by individual managers’ educational background. Concludes with a discussion of some of the policy implications of the findings.