The Glass Ceiling

The opposing argument to the gender gap focuses on gender bias, and recognizes the underrepresentation of women in upper management positions. The gender gap can begin to close if organizations take the initiative to hire more women and encourage their participation in the workforce. Overall, the gender gap in the representation of top management positions does exist in corporate organizations, however these organizations can make a change and bridge the

From the time women started working, they have been facing the challenge of breaking the glass ceiling in order to climb to the top of the corporate hierarchy. Although the glass ceiling is not as prominent as it was in the past, it is still very real, and it affects not only women but other minorities. Whether it is the ceiling, wall, elevator, or cage, the glass prevents women from advancing in their careers. It has existed from the beginning, and even with the help of equality laws, it still poses a problem today. However, thanks to several outstanding women, the glass has developed several cracks; the future appears brighter.

Women face many obstacles as they climb their career’s hierarchy and for many different reasons their wage is comparably less than that of males. After the movements toward equality in the workplace, many think that sex discrimination isn’t present anymore. However, many still believe that the glass ceiling hasn’t shattered and still possesses a barrier for many women in the labor force. The glass ceiling and the wage gap exist for various reasons but, like many other women leaders, women can break the glass and abolish the gap. INTRODUCTION The glass ceiling is defined as the “unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps… women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements.” According to the Department of Labor, the glass ceiling is made up of “artificial barriers [that are] based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.” Qualified women are continuously denied a promotion to the highest levels of corporate America and other professions.

We believe that the corporations should apply affirmative action for a short period of time to have an equal playing field for women. Women are qualified but big corporations find it hard to hire women because of its untraditional method. That is why women should be forced into these jobs helping the majority in the end. Women bring many things that a man doesn’t bring to the business world including another viewpoint. This alone would help company’s compete better in the business world.

(3) found that women are at an disadvantage because of the established political system and networks within the organization that consisted of men and excluded the women. (3) Another finding indicated that interpersonal/people skills are very valuable to establish good networks to be successful ... ... middle of paper ... ... women or minorities from succeeding further in the hierarchical structure of an organization. The essay examined the glass ceiling effect for women in management positions. As time has progressed and transformed the workforce, more women have not only entered the workforce but have been given management positions. However, the issue prevalent to society today is that women are not given the opportunity to senior executive positions due to these invisible barriers the glass ceiling effect presents.

In addition, women who do achieve the title of “executive” are highly concentrated into the types of jobs that offer little or no opportunity for advancement to the top. They are not likely to serve in roles or capacities that are crucial to the success of the company, and both the tasks and duties performed, however well done, will not designate them as capable leaders within their organizations. Gender-based job segregation at the upper-levels of corporate management r... ... middle of paper ... ...valuated and affirmed by those around us. For women, however, this process is often interrupted, due to the fact that “when women display leadership behaviors we consider normative in men, we see them as unfeminine, [and] when women act more feminine, we don’t see them as leaders” (Sarah Green, Harvard Business Review). This issue is felt and internalized, rather than seen, and drastically decreases women’s motivation to lead within an organization.

Introduction Ever since it was coined as a term in the 1980s by Gay Bryant, the glass ceiling has had an immense impact on the average working woman as well as diversity in the workplace. To understand its effect and contributions it is necessary to start from the basics by defining the term. The glass ceiling is a metaphor combining the words glass and ceiling to define an invisible barrier that block women, as well as minorities, from advancing to higher positions due to their gender and/or race. In other words, it does not allow women and minorities to climb up the corporate ladder. Glass is supposed to represent the invisible barrier, and ceiling represents higher position (corporate).

More women are starting to work proactively in the “mans world”, but they are straining to advance to high executive positions throughout corporate companies. A lot of this is due to a women’s fertility. While the stereotype of women being strictly housewives has diminished, the mentality that women are too maternal is prevalent in business life. Due to this outlook women are perceived to be unable to take on the stressful pressures business prevails, giving reason to why for years women were only secretaries and clerks in business where they received little room for progression in their careers. A great deal of reasoning behind this struggle is due to the Great Man Theory.

More and more, women are bound by the glass ceiling in the corporate world. The glass ceiling is a barrier “so subtle that it is transparent, yet so strong that it prevents women from moving up the corporate hierarchy." From their vantage point on the corporate ladder, women can see the high-level corporate positions but are kept from "reaching the top" (Ann Morrison, 1987). Ann Morrison goes ahead to say that the glass ceiling "is not simply a barrier for an individual, based on the person 's inability to handle a higher-level job. Rather, the glass ceiling applies to women as a group who are kept from advancing higher because they are women.” Even in the event that a woman does make it to the top, she is discriminated against when it comes to pay.

The exclusion of women altogether solely due to their gender is a now rare example of how women are discriminated against. Although women have gained overall access to the workplace, sex discrimination still persists in additional ways. There multiple examples of potentially unlawful gender discrimination that women face. Hiring and firing are the first two problems women often face within the workplace. An example of this is woman applying for a job in which they have experience and excellent qualifications, but are not hired because some of the company's clients are more comfortable dealing with men.