This article describes the challenges that women and women of color face in their quest to achieve and perform in leadership roles in work settings. We discuss the barriers that women encounter and specifically address the dimensions of gender and race and their impact on leadership. We identify the factors associated with gender evaluations of leaders and the stereotypes and other challenges faced by White women and women of color. We use ideas concerning identity and the intersection of multiple identities to understand the way in which gender mediates and shapes the experience of women in the workplace. We conclude with suggestions for research and theory development that may more fully capture the complex experience of women who serve as leaders.

Feminist theory puts forth a general analysis of societal inequities that are based on gender oppression. It further posits that those inequities are a basic cause of mental health problems in women. Understanding those societal circumstances and their effects is a major focus of feminist therapy and research. The task of unraveling the conundrum of diversity in feminist therapy theory, research, and practice appears deceptively simple, if we assume that gender is the primary locus of oppression for all women. In reality, however, we know that this is not so. In considering the nexus of diversity and feminist psychology on all levels, we are compelled to ask questions that go beyond our understanding of oppression simply as a function of gender. The more that we are aware of the diversity of women's lives and experiences, the more cognizant we become of the need to consider how the intensity and effects of sexism vary or interact with other forms of oppression and privilege experienced by an individual. Our inquiry must also include an examination of the ways that feminist psychology I 73

The experiment described in this article examined how interacting with a friend as opposed to a stranger in anticipation of a stressful event (giving an extemporaneous speech) affects coping. Results indicated that subjects perceived more social support after interacting with a friend than with a stranger. They were less depressed and were judged to be more confident during the extemporaneous speech after interacting with an opposite-sex friend than with an opposite-sex stranger. Specific verbal and nonverbal behaviors contributed to successful coping. Subjects reported less fear if they talked about their feelings about public speaking during the social interaction, and they were more confident while speaking if they engaged in problem-solving talk. Problem-solving, other-related, and unrelated talk predicted perceived social support. Of the nonverbal behaviors measured, eye contact was the best predictor of coping and perceived social support.

Focus groups with information technology (IT) professionals and interviews with high‐performing IT supervisors were content‐analyzed to discover best supervisory practices.The focus is on how these best practices address challenges commonly confronted in the IT work environment. Consistent with classic leadership theory, best practices fell into two major categories: task‐focused (boundary spanning, performance management, employee involvement, training and development) and person‐focused (relationship building, mentoring, stress management, work‐family balance) practices. Results demonstrate that while leadership practices effective with other types of professionals also are appropriate for IT professionals, these practices can be tailored to address unique IT demands. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.