Now, more than ever, women have gained access to high-level leadership positions. The "glass ceiling," that perplexing barrier that once excluded women from the top, has finally shattered. But women in powerful roles are still rare, and in Through the Labyrinth, Alice Eagly and Linda Carli explain why. They also describe what needs to be done to give women better access to authority in the workplace. The book explores such questions as: Are men simply better, more natural leaders? Are women's careers compromised by their responsibilities at home? Does discrimination against women still exist in the workplace? Do organizational traditions and practices create obstacles to women's leadership? And do women have leadership styles that work for or against them? At the heart of the authors' analysis is the metaphor they propose to replace the outdated idea of the glass ceiling: the labyrinth. This new concept better captures the varied challenges that women face as they navigate indirect, complex, and often discontinuous paths toward leadership.