THE GLASS CEILING
Okay, no matter what changes have occurred in the work environment over the past twenty years, the glass ceiling, though slightly cracked, does still exist.
While a January 2007 survey conducted by MSNBC.com and Elle magazine seemed to indicate that gender distinctions in leadership are becoming blurred (51 percent of those surveyed didn’t feel gender made a difference in who is a better leader), there was a sense that what is still holding women back is a certain mistrust by employees who have never had a female boss.
Just as in any stereotyping situation, the more experience you have with a particular group, the more the stereotype erodes. So there is hope for the future.
However, issues still occur. A large portion of females - 71 percent - indicated that they feel women still have to work harder and smarter to achieve the same level with men, though 64 percent of men disagreed. So there is apparently some discrepancy not only in how women are treated, but in the perception of how they are treated.
According to figures from the Ms. Foundation approximately one out of four Americans believe that society assesses women as doing a better job with “following instructions and orders, communicating ideas effectively, and working well with other people.”
They also believe that most people feel men do a better job with ”creating and developing new technology, using technology, managing other people, leading groups - and making tough decisions.”
The latest findings from Grant Thorton International Business Report (IBR) indicate that of 7,200 privately held businesses worldwide 38 percent still don’t have women in senior management roles. This figure hasn’t changed since 2004. And findings show that a large number of those polled felt that they “could rise through the ranks if they had a male boss, compared with those who had female bosses.” This type of thinking tends to keep men in positions of power thereby perpetuating the old beliefs.
Some of the biggest issues that women face when confronted by the glass ceiling include the following:
Exclusionism. One of the biggest issues that women still face is the furtherance of the “old boy’s club” and their exclusion from this network. For good reason: the idea that a sale can still be made over drinks at a strip club hasn’t faded.
Lack of Commitment. There’s a myth that women routinely opt-out. In fact, evidence shows that employers assume women are more likely to quit to begin a family or care for elderly parents; therefore, there is a resistance to invest in a woman’s career. Maybe the lack of opportunity is quite often what pushes them away.
Wage Gap. Employers often assume that women are less committed because they are paid less, so they pay them less because they are less committed. This is why the latest figures show that women still earn an average of 72 percent of what men earn.
Role Models. They are few and far between. It’s difficult to have someone to emulate when they are facing the same upward struggle as you. On top of this, there is the continued perception that an aggressive woman is a “bitch”.
Thought this kind of thinking was dead? Unfortunately, the business world is still riddled with a variety of misconceptions, assumptions and historical biases towards women in the workplace. And all this makes it difficult for females to avoid hitting the glass ceiling.
Explore posts in the same categories: Leadership, Job Satisfaction
Hallelujah, brother! Thank you for pointing out what women already know: the glass ceiling has not yet been broken. Now if we can just find a solution.
Women have this “glass ceiling” because it is assumed that they will stop working or want time off to get married, have kids, etc. I think employers are afraid to invest if these chances are high.
Have you read Freakanomics? There’s a story about a woman who asked to have Friday’s off b/c of her son. The boss, b/c the woman was such a great employee, agreed. Then a male employee asked for Friday’s off to work on his golf game (or something like that) stating that it wasn’t the boss’ place to decide what should be someone’s priorities. He valued his golf like she did her child’s upbringing. So the boss agreed. Anyway, he ended up falling behind. The woman excelled. The fact was the boss knew the woman could handle it and he couldn’t but she wished she’d just been honest and explained that to the male employee - it wasn’t about “choosing what could be a priority” - it was a matter of who deserved it and who could handle it. Anyway, point is - the glass will break at some point. The simple fact that women physically give birth isn’t enough any more.
I work in Advertising and there is definitely a wage gap. I’ve heard reports where a woman and a man - just as qualified, doing the same job, etc - and the man makes as much as 30k more per year than the woman.
Okay, we get it. So it’s there. What do we really do about it?