Summary
Many business experts believe that in the twenty-first
century, women will rise to the top of the commercial
world. They say women are better at working with people
and are more sympathetic to the needs and feelings of
their staff.
In Women in Business, we see how five women made it to
the top in the twentieth century. These women are famous
all over the world. They are each from very different
cultures and backgrounds but they all have one thing in
common – success.
Coco Chanel started her working life as a dressmaker. She
started up in business just at the time when women’s lives
were changing dramatically. Because of the war, women in
northern France suddenly needed clothes for a new kind
of lifestyle – an active, working life outside of the home.
And Coco Chanel designed them. Throughout her long
career, she understood that fashion was not just about
clothes but about the way people live their lives.
Hanae Mori, by contrast, was married to a rich
businessman before starting her own business. However,
life as a housewife did not satisfy her. Inspired by Coco
Chanel, she started making designer dresses for Japan’s
film stars. Eventually she had more than 70 shops around
the world, selling her designs that mixed ideas from East
and West.