The importance of local authorities in modern states continues to grow regarding service delivery and policy-making. As the role of local authorities has grown, so has the prestige and importance of the top manager positions at the local level. Traditionally, women¿s advancement into these top-echelon positions has been much slower than into positions at the lower levels of local government. So how and when do women get hired into these positions? Is their career advancement similar to that of their male peers, or are there notable differences between the sexes? And are women really only hired as change agents during times of crisis? The author provides answers to these questions and more by focusing on the career advancement of Icelandic female council managers. The book draws from both comparative resources and a single case study on Iceland and provides comprehensive information on the recruitment of women into the position of council manager from the perspective of local government studies, organizational studies and gender studies. The book will help scholars, students and practitioners interested in exploring the subtle hindrances facing women¿s advancement into top-echelon positions in organizations.

List of Tables and Figure - Preface - Introduction - Theoretical Framework - The Council-Manager Position in Comparison - The Icelandic Local Government System - The Recruitment Process of a Council Manager - The Profile of Icelandic Council Managers - Think Female-Think Change - The Icelandic Council Manager-a Classification - The Case of Iceland: Lessons Learned - Appendix - Index.