Talking from 9 to 5

Deborah Tannen Virago, pounds sterling16.95, pp 368 ISBN 1 85381 546 2

Traditional perceptions of men's and women's roles are changing, with women increasingly putting their careers first. But there is still an invisible barrier—otherwise known as the “glass ceiling”—that stops women from rising to the top of their professions. It was considered so serious a problem in America that a Glass Ceiling Commission was created as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. In the NHS, a paltry 16% of all consultants are women, a figure which shows little sign of improving.

Understanding how people talk to each other is at the root of the …