Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World.

Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World by Marie C. Wilson. 2004. Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson St., New York, N. Y. 10014. 190 pages. $24.95. Available online at: www. closingtheleadeship gap.com.

Marie C. Wilson, founder of the White House Project and the Ms. Foundation for Women, writes about and for women leaders in all areas, including politics, government, business and nonprofit organizations. Drawing upon the wisdom of famous female trailblazers, research from respected academic institutions and her own personal experience, Wilson brings attention to the successes and challenges facing women today.

A mother, businesswoman, former city council member and foundation head, Wilson calls herself a "social entrepreneur." The Ms. Foundation is best-known for the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work program. The White House Project's mission is to advance women's leadership in every sector, including the presidency.

Using research conducted by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers, Wilson sets the scene with a reminder that women's numbers lag in leadership positions. Most concerning for the future is the lack of women in the current "political pipeline."

Wilson says women bring special skills to larger groups, including legislatures. They tend to have "diverse viewpoints in decision making, have a broader conception of public policy and offer new solutions." As has been noted by other researchers, in particular, Cindy Simon Rosenthal, women in politics tend to be collegial and collaborative, rather than hierarchical. Wilson echoes Rosenthal's findings that women are likely to work on bills helping families. She says research shows "a direct correlation between the number of women in a legislative body and the passage of bills benefiting women and children."

It is Wilson's contention that politics and business would "profit enormously from women's skills at relationships, teamwork, compromise and empathy." She calls for more women in powerful leadership positions--in politics and business--for the good of the world.

This book will appeal to all leaders, men and women alike. Wilson has much to say about the fine points of leadership. Lawmakers will appreciate the various references Wilson makes to demographics within legislatures. But the book isn't only for established leaders. Wilson calls for women of all ages to become leaders in their own way. There's much to learn about how that's done in this book.

--Leah Oliver, NCSL