Men dominate clearly on leading positions in swedish working life. On average top management consists of 94 per cent men and six per cent women in the swedish private sector. 72 per cent of the boards of directors of privately-owned companies consists exclusively of men. Only about a third of the companies have an official policy of aiming to increase the nnmber of women in managerial positions. A majority of the companies have a gender neutral attitude to executive recruitment. Competence and

more »

... ot gender is said to be decisive.1 In this artide it is argued that gender is part of the construction of management. It is more important to problematize the power-relation between men and women than to look for certain leaderqualities to understand the male domination on executive positions. It is shown here that the construction of management is closely linked to the construction of maleness. Women are seen as either a resource that bas not yet been used due to that women lack the right qualities for management, or as a different kind of resource that could be used in certain situations. In both cases women are defined in relation to men, as being the same (hut lacking essential qualities) or different (in a certain way). An alternative way of thinking is to go beyond this sameness/ difference definiton to a perspective on women managers as a power-resource, with actual influence in management positions. As a power- resource women are not being used by the power, but are instead using their competence as subjects of power.