•  
  •  
 

Volume 6, Issue 1 (1990) Special Issue: Women and Economic Empowerment


This issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy had many beginnings and, like most efforts in which a theme is slowly resolved, probably should not have an ending.

The discussion of this theme started several years ago when a group of senior Boston businesswomen talked about the need and value of meeting on a semiregular basis. Their purpose would be to focus discussions on a narrow but important issue — the economic advancement of women.

The criteria for these informal meetings quickly fell into place. All the women who comprised the group would be drawn from within the private sector and hold senior executive positions; their deliberations would have a low profile and receive no public airing; most important, the common element among the members would be a high degree of mutual trust, respect, and confidentiality. The group met faithfully in the ensuing years, expanding its membership to include partners in Boston law firms, other executives, senior public officials, and several college presidents. For lack of a better name, we called ourselves the Women's Economic Forum, reflecting our interest.

Many of the women — a number of whom are contributors to this volume — had first pooled their efforts on behalf of another Journal contributor, Evelyn Murphy, then a candidate for lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Later, as new members joined, individuals supported a range of candidates for state and local office, men and women. Like Lieutenant Governor Murphy, the forum members were acutely aware that the public policy issues which most concerned them centered on a single topic: the position and advancement of women in the economic mainstream of the community.

The feminization of economic power is a compelling theme. The articles in this volume represent the personal views of the authors and are not meant as academic treatises. We hope this effort is just the start of further commentary and action, as we all work toward our common objective of economic empowerment and economic independence for all women.

Front Matter

Editor's Note

PDF

Editor's Note
Dawn-Marie Driscoll

Articles

PDF

Foreword
Rosabeth Moss Kanter

PDF

Reaching Tomorrow's Hispanic Leaders
Sister Thérèse Higgins

PDF

Issues in the Corporate Workplace
Carol R. Goldberg, Aileen P. Gorman, and Kathleen B. Hansen

PDF

Women, Power, and Partnership
Elizabeth Graham Cook

PDF

Women and Power: Women in Politics
Cathleen Douglas Stone

PDF

Women, Leadership, and Power
Marilyn Swartz Lloyd

PDF

Women and Economic Empowerment
Kitty Dukakis and Vivian Li

Back Matter

Editors

Editor
Padraig O'Malley
Guest Editor
Dawn-Marie Driscoll
Guest Associate Editor
Nancy Woolley
Book Reviews
Shaun O'Donnell
Design Coordinator
Candace Chick
Copy Editor
Geraldine C. Morse