The first generation of women to launch professional careers in significant numbers is now entering senior management. They invented new paths amid traditional obstacles and unprecedented opportunities. In-depth interviews with 10 senior financial executives, combined with follow-up group data from a conference, were used to explore the key developmental tasks that high-achieving women have faced in these evolving circumstances. Findings broadly support Levinson’s model of development but suggest that the external conditions and internal experiences of this pioneering cohort have special characteristics. The authors outline participants’ developmental work, and the resulting rewards, of finding a life role (in their 20s), managing career-family trade-offs (in their 30s), and coming into their own (at 50 and beyond). Implications for theory, executive development practice, and further research are identified.
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