Coping With the Corporate Tribe: How Women in Different Cultures Experience the Managerial Role

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which women perceive, experience, and cope with the initiation rites of the corporate tribe (gaining entry, establishing credibility, and managing gender identity). The analysis is based on intensive interviews with managerial women (46 professionals and 21 self-made women) employed in a variety of industries in France and Canada. The rites these women experience transcend cultural boundaries and national frontiers. They are encountered by both professionals and self-made women, although some differences between the two groups are found. The analysis describes the process of incorporating women into management and brings to light problems for women and dilemmas for organizations. Individual coping strategies and suggestions for organizational change are discussed.