Getting Into Informal Networks: Interviews with Top Women in Management, 1980

This study was designed to explore the variety of situations women managers encounter in their corporate settings and the degree to which they are included in informal aspects of corporate life. Data were obtained in 1980 through personal interviews with 20 women who were vice presidents in either banks or insurance companies in a large northeastern city. The participants were identified through two business directories. The interview was unstructured and not standardized. It usually covered such areas as work history, educational level and concentration, further career aspirations, attitudes toward work, personal achievement, and women in business. In addition, participants were asked about the support systems and informal networks within the corporation. The Murray Research Archive has typed transcripts of 19 taped interviews.