WOMEN ABOVE THE GLASS CEILING - PERCEPTIONS ON CORPORATE MOBILITY ANDSTRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

This research focuses on women in corporate positions ''above the glas s ceiling'' and explores their perceptions on corporate mobility and s trategies for success in elite positions. Through interviews with 16 m en and women corporate presidents and chief executive officers (CEOs) in Southern California, ii is found that while white men promote the d ominant ideology of individualism and patriarchal gender ideology as e xplanations of corporate mobility and success, white women emphasize a lternative perspectives by confirming the importance of social network s and peer similarities for succeeding in elite positions. These women strategically attempt to increase their cultural capital to negotiate male-dominated networks and maintain their high-status positions thro ugh such measures as obtaining advanced educational degrees or modifyi ng speech and behavior.