Leadership Styles and Access of Women to Top Level Business Positions.

      Аннотация: The research investigates the impact of leadership styles on the access to top level business positions by women. Gender specific leadership styles and skills have been discussed and the leadership skills impact model has been newly created and tested in German speaking countries. It was found out that a transformational leadership style, a high educational level, interpersonal and conceptual skills as well as practical training play an important role for men to reach a top job. Even though women possess transformational leadership skills and have good knowledge and skills it doesn’t aid them for career progression in the same extent as for men. The deduction can be drawn that women face constraining factors like prejudice and stereotyping, a masculine corporate culture, general norms and cultural practices, a lack of role models, a lack of flexible work solutions, raising children, personal values, social norms as well as less practical training skills, which hinder female career progression.

Ключевые слова: Constraints, gender equality, Stereotyping, Women, leadership skills and styles, top level business positions, Eastern and Western Europe