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. Once women reach a certain level at their career, they plateau and the glass ceiling prevents them from advancing any higher. The term Glass Ceiling originally appeared on an Adweek interview with Gay Bryant, editor of Family Circle, in 1984. However, she first put the term in paper on her book The Working Woman Report: Succeeding in Business in the 80’s. Women might be able to reach middle management in their company but reaching any higher might seem impossible due to the slow process and vast competition. This is “partly because corporations are structured as pyramids, with many middle managers trying to move up into the few av... ... middle of paper ... ...p/scspi/_media/pdf/key_issues/gender_research.pdf>. Powell, Jesse. "Marriage Is Masculinity and Coverture | Secular Patriarchy." Secular Patriarchy. N.p., 08 Aug. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. Salmon, Marylynn. "The Legal Status of Women, 1776–1830." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. Soares, Rachel, Mark Bartkiewicz, and Liz Mulligan-Ferry. "2013 Catalyst Census Fortune 500 Women Executive Officers and Top Earners." Catalyst. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. Soares, Rachel, Mark Bartkiewicz, Liz Mulligan-Ferry, Emily Fendler, and Elijah Wai Chun Kun. "Statistical Overview of Women in the Workplace." Catalyst. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. United States. Cong. Joint Economic Committee. United States Congress Joint Economic Committee. By Carolyn B. Maloney and Charles E. Schumer. 111th Cong. Cong. Rept. 16 Dec. 2010. 03 Mar. 2014.
“The history of the Glass Ceiling Commission dates back to 1986 when Wall Street Journal reported a pattern of highly accomplished women being passed over for upper-level promotions due to an invisible barrier”. The term “glass-ceiling” first entered America’s public conversation almost two decades ago, when the Corporate Woman column from The Wall Street Journal identified this new phenomenon. “There seem to be an invisible –but impenetrable- barrier between women and the executive suite, preventing them from reaching the highest levels of the business world regardless of th...
In February 2015, Ellen Pao’s lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm, for gender discrimination went on trial. Pao alleged that she had been treated unfairly by her ex-bosses and passed on numerous times for promotion in favor of her male counterparts. While Pao did not win her lawsuit, the trial brought back to light the problem of gender discrimination and of the glass ceiling in corporate America. Since women started to enter the workforce, there always have been barriers and obstacles that prevented them from reaching the higher ranks on the corporate ladder. Public recognition that there was indeed a problem of discrimination helped giving women assurance
This phenomenon was first described in a Wall Street Journal report by Hymowitz and Schellhardt (1986). Morrison, White and Velsor (1987) adopted the term in academic settings in their book titled: Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Can women Reach the top of America’s Largest Corporations? They defined glass ceiling as “a transparent barrier that kept women from rising above a certain level in corporations”. Many studies across different disciplines adopted the term since then (Bullard and Wright 1993; Cornwell and Kellough 1994; Crum and Naff 1997; Kellough 1989; Lewis and Emmert 1986; Lewis and Nice 1994; Mani 1997; Naff 1994; Naff and Thomas 1994; Newman 1994; Pfeffer and Davis-Blake 1987; Reid, Kerr, and Miller 2003; Wilson 2002). As a consequence, social psychologists provided the theoretical explanation of why there is fewer female on managerial positions. They came to the conclusion that this phenomenon is closely related to the fact that leadership is considered as a male quality. Traits that can be found in the literature, such as: ambitious, directive and risk-taking, are generally associated with men (Sabharwal, 2013). Moreover, there are some theories that try to expand the role of men in leadership even further. The “think-manager-thin-man” is undoubtedly dominating the literature (Agars
In “2014 and 2015… zero women were head coaches of Division 1 men… teams”(Price E.1). This shows that they thought that women could not be head coaches for men or thought they might be a distraction to them. In “2015, a women earn 80 cents” for every dollar a man earned (Zhai). Men are still give women lower pay. Female workers with the same college degree as men “earn an average hourly wage of $16.58” and the men earn $20.94 (Zhai). Women are still getting lower pay although they have the same degree. The”Women's Policy Research in september[of 2016] found that if [this] continue, women will not receive equal pay until 2059”(Zhai). This shows that women has a long way to go before they earn equal pay. It is clear that for women that they have a long way to go before the glass ceiling in Jobs is shattered for
The "glass ceiling" has held women back from certain positions and opportunities in the workplace. Women are stereotyped as part-time, lower-grade workers with limited opportunities for training and advancement because of this "glass ceiling". How have women managed their careers when confronted by this glass ceiling? It has been difficult; American women have struggled for their role in society since 1848. Women’s roles have changed significantly throughout the past centuries because of their willingness and persistence. Women have contributed to the change pace of their role in the workplace by showing motivation and perseverance.
My research opened my eyes to the struggle of women in the job market. The differences range from how we speak, what we wear, to where our priorities exist in business. One of the first books I came across was Managing Like a Man by Judy Wajcman. The title alone highlights the severe psychological separation of men and women in the workplace. Everyone faces difficulty at some point or another in a working environment. Unfortunately for women, workplace issues can range from not getting along, not keeping the job, or simply not getting the job. ‘Bust through the glass ceiling’ is a term coined in regards to women and the seemingly impossible climb up the ladder of success. Multiple books and studies about women seeking leadership roles give the theory a legitimate hype. The female gender has to fight for their role in the workplace, even when they have more education, more experience, and a newly found focus on equality for women. Extended research is still being done because the issue has not been completely eradicated; even now in the 2000’s.
There is constant talk of the “glass ceiling” and the inequality of women in the work place. When these topics come up, they are often associated with negative connotations and with a radical feminist approach. Instead of pointing out the disparity of American women in the work place, this paper will focus on the advancements women have made, and show that although there still may be a wage gap and glass ceiling, it is not as drastic as it is more often made out to be.
But, many studies have shown that women earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn, resulting in the glass ceiling concept (Barreto, Ryan. Schmitt 2009). As introduced in the 1980s, the glass ceiling concept is a metaphoric phrase defined as an invisible barrier that many women tend to hit, resulting in a obstacle to a higher advancement within any profession, which many women have to face today. The goal of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was to eliminate discrimination against any specific gender, including the gender pay gap. This was supposed to set an equal amount of pay for both genders but has yet still failed to do so. Many women tend to hit the glass ceiling due to a difference in pay, less experience, and a lack of value than most men have towards women in the workplace. Once women get to a certain point in their profession, it been acknowledged that many tend to feel the weight of being able to succeed and handle a position of leadership. Men are notably considered as “more competent and better leaders than women.” This especially is seen when women work in more male-dominated jobs, as they hit the glass ceiling sooner which prevents them from climbing the ladder into higher ranked jobs (Williams 2013). According to a study, women are beginning to gain higher positions in their profession, but they still only account for 15 percent of the higher corporate ladder within America. In Latin America, there has been significant progress, as the gender pay gap has been close. This is a goal we must work towards in America, if we want to equality for all within the workplace. We must implement stricter laws, such as creating a policy that provides that both men and women are paid equally for same
They frequently have a hard time simply being hired because of their gender. Gender discrimination leads to the management hiring or promoting a man over a woman, even if the woman has higher qualifications (Andres). This bias occurs in part because of lack of female leadership in corporate settings. Men make up an overwhelming majority of leadership positions in business and politics. While the results of one study found women to make up 53% of entry level employees, they found that women only made up 19% of top executive positions, such as CEO or CFO, in the same company (Harvard Business Review Staff). These statistics reveal that women are getting cut off at lower level positions with no basis for the actions of those making the decisions other than gender. Known as the glass ceiling, this phenomenon plagues working women. Not only are women denied high-level jobs, but they are also denied the same payment as men for the same work. This wage gap continues to rage on. For example, the Harvard Business Review reports that, in insurance, “saleswomen make only 62.5% of what their male colleagues earn.” Additionally, mothers are offered, on average, $11,000 less than childless women as a starting salary (Harvard Business Review Staff). This is undeniable evidence that women continually face imaginary barriers that prevent them from receiving fair wages. In a fair job market, whether or not a woman has a child would have nothing to do with what she is offered for her starting wage, and she would be offered the same pay as an equally qualified man applying for the same job. Tragically, differences like these are even more prominent in STEM fields, which have been male-dominated for
For many decades, women have faced inequalities in the workforce. At one point, they were not allowed to work at all. Although women's rights have improved and are now able to work alongside men, they are still treated unfairly. According to the 2012 U.S. Census, women’s earnings were “76.5 percent of men’s” (1). In 2012, men, on average, earned $47,398 and women earned only $35,791. This is when comparing employees where both gender spend the same amount of time working. Not only do women encounter unfairness in work pay, they also face a “glass ceiling” on a promotional basis. This glass ceiling is a “promotion barrier that prevents woman’s upward ability” (2). For example, if a woman is able to enter a job traditionally for men, she will still not receive the same pay or experience the same increase in occupational ability. Gender typing plays a huge role in the workplace. It is the idea that women tend to hold jobs that are low paid with low status. Women are not highly considered in leadership positions because of social construction of gender. Society has given women the role of “caretakers” and sensitive individuals. Therefore, women are not depicted as authoritative figures, which is apparent with the absence of women in leadership roles in companies. Furthermore, sex segregation leads to occupations with either the emphasis of women in a certain job or men in a certain job. In 2009, occupations with the highest proportion of women included “secretary, child care worker, hair dresser, cashier, bookkeeper, etc.” (3). Male workers typically held job positions as construction workers, truck drivers, taxi drivers, etc. (3). Sex segregation represents inequality because the gender composition for these jobs depends on what ...
Also, the majority of women have been able to secure employment from traditionally female occupations such as teaching compared to male-dominated careers like engineering. Moreover, democratic country like the United States of America has recognized gender inequality as a fundamental issue and espouse equal right between men and women in contributing to social, economic and cultural life. Despite this improvement, gender inequality persists as women are not represented and treated equally in the workplace (Michialidis, Morphitou, & Theophylatou, 2012). The increasing number of women in the workplace has not provided equal opportunity for career advancement for females due to the way women are treated in an organization and the society. Also, attaining an executive position seem impossible for women due to the glass ceiling effects which defines the invisible and artificial barrier created by attitudinal and organizational prejudices, which inhibit women from attaining top executive positions (Wirth
One of the reasons women are not found in top business positions is because they do not see other women at the top. As Elizabeth Perle McKenna, a former publisher, says, “Women are bailing because they’re looking up and saying, ‘Hey, there’s nobody who looks like me up there. Am I going to knock myself out for the next twenty years only to be passed over f...
When speaking of the glass ceiling, a reference is being made to an invisible, artificial barrier that prevents qualified individuals from advancing within their organization and reaching full potential. The glass ceiling describes the point beyond when women managers and executives are not promoted. These barriers result from institutional and psychological practices.
Despite government regulations to promote equality within the workplace, women’s salaries continue to lag behind males in similar career with similar experiences. According to research performed by Blau & Kahn (2007) “women salaries averaged about 60% of men’s until the 1970s and rose to nearly 80% by the 1990s” (as cited in Bendick, Jr. & Nunes, 2012, p.244). Today, women on average earn approximately $.81 for every dollar that men earn in the United States (Guy and Fenley P.41 2014).
Another target populations, has been the “glass ceiling,” or invisible barrier, that keeps women and minorities from attaining top jobs. While the ideal of equal opportunity is espoused, it is far from a reality. Women and minorities continue to “peak out” at a low level of management. Kelborn (1995) (pg.