Women comprise nearly half the UK workforce, yet most are still employed in comparatively low-status, low-paid jobs. Restrictive male-based working practices and employment law; company, group and individual attitudes based on stereotypes; isolation and lack of accessible role models; exclusion from the “old boy” network; these and many more factors go to make up the ‘glass ceiling’, that invisible barrier which prevents working women from maximising their potential.

Despite government and industry concern, and initiatives such as ‘Opportunity 2000’, the glass ceiling will continue to exist until enough individual women take responsibility for breaking through their own barriers. They must introduce the cultural changes needed to integrate female values, lifestyles, needs, approaches and skills with those of men, so that full equality is created in practice, not just in theory, for both sexes at every working level.

Breakthrough is a practical guide for all working women who want to take responsibility for their own lives. It shows the reader how to recognise the barriers likely to confront them, and find the most effective way of breaking through. It is packed with case studies, tips and practical exercises.