IWL has signed a contract with Rutgers University Press to launch a book series titled "Junctures: Case Studies in Women's Leadership."

Alison R. Bernstein, IWL Director and Professor of History, is the series editor. The series will consist of eight volumes, with each book consisting of twelve case studies focused on a specific context.

"Case studies have a long history in the worlds of business, law, and social science. They are valuable research and teaching methods used to analyze a particular topic or person or event. But case studies focusing on women's leadership and applying a gender lens are rare.   In partnership with Rutgers University Press, our IWL consortium aims to address that underrepresentation," announced Alison R. Bernstein.

When Harvard Business School was founded in 1908, faculty there quickly realized that there were no textbooks for their new program. Their solution to this problem was to interview business leaders and to write detailed accounts of what they were doing.

According to Mary Trigg, IWL Research Director and Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, "Today, Harvard Business School faculty members publish 80 percent of case studies sold in the world. A quick search of the HBS publishing database revealed only fifty cases that use the word gender out of almost fifteen thousand available cases. "

Last year, with the help of Bridget Gurtler, a Rutgers PhD history student and research assistant to Alison Bernstein, IWL developed a case study called "Cecile Richards: Leading Planned Parenthood in the New Millennium." After piloting that draft case study with IWL Leadership Scholars, Trigg and Bernstein presented their proposal for a series of case studies on women's leadership to Rutgers University Press editor Marlie Wasserman. Together they outlined plans for the series.   The books will feature a combination of well-known and emerging leaders, including living and deceased, who have lead in diverse arenas such as: politics, health, business, human rights, media, arts and culture.

The series is beginning with two volumes, one on women's leadership for rights, which Bernstein and Trigg will co-edit, and the second on women leaders in business edited by Dana Britton, Director of the Center for Women and Work, and Lisa Hetfield, IWL Associate Director.

Do you have suggestions for women leaders to feature in our series? Share your ideas by contacting Mary Trigg at trigg@rci.rutgers.edu. 

Are women leading in new ways? Can we learn important lessons from case studies on women leaders? What is the inside story? How do leaders make change?

With your help, IWL can tackle these questions and many more in our series of case studies on women's leadership.

Please make a contribution today to support the "Junctures: Case Studies in Women's Leadership" Project.  Your donation will help train Rutgers graduate students in the case study method and provide stipends for their case study research. Your investment will have multiple benefits: for graduate students involved in the research; for undergraduate students who will study these cases in the classroom; and for future leaders who will learn from the success and failures of the pioneers who have lead the way. Click here to make a gift.