The Glass Ceiling
By Kristen Egan, Heather Flandreau, Jennifer Nelson
Women all across Corporate America know what this phenomenon is. This term may sound strange to those who do not know what it represents. The glass ceiling is the invisible barrier on the corporate ladder that women and minorities can not shatter, resulting in little or no chance to advance their careers. For as long as women have held jobs outside the home, this barrier has hindered the wages and positions earned by most women. First we will look at exactly what the glass ceiling is and what it's effects mean to corporate women. Then we will explore steps that large corporations can take in order to help negate the glass ceiling phenomenon. Last we will address the most popular way that women can take charge and rid their careers of the glass ceiling all together.
All over America women are indeed taking their places in the corporate world. The fact that these places are usually not the highest ranking within the corporation is an issue of concern for many. It is a proven fact that at every level of education earned, women earn less money than men despite the fact that each may be just as capable as the other. Only three to five percent of top managers are women. In 1995, only fifty-seven women held executive vice-president or higher positions in Fortune 500 companies. In the field of architecture, a mere seventeen percent of the total workforce is female. Even Avon, a Fortune 500 company with many women in powerful positions, has passed over women executives as leaders by recently hiring a man as their CEO. As shown through statistics and example, women are struggling in all areas of business to break through the glass ceiling.
In an August 1992 report issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, the following suggestions are given to employers as innovative ways to provide women with higher positions: 1- Tracking women and minorities with advancement potential. This is essential because many women feel as if they are not being challenged in the workplace to perform their best. In an era where corporate leaders are expressing a shortage of key skills within their employees, we need to ask if those skills are found within women already employed by the organization. 2- Ensuring access and visibility. A must in the business world is networking, and employers need to allow their female employees the same opportunities to do this as allotted to the male employees. 3- Ensuring a bias-free workplace. Despite the major efforts to disband the Old Boys network and to rid the workplace of sexual harassment, both are still found in many work atmospheres. Most women feel that these two issues make it difficult for women to succeed in corporations and that they limit the opportunities available to women.
One of the most promising opportunities for women today is business ownership. Women are starting businesses at three to four times the rate of men, for a total of over eight million women owned businesses in America alone. The growth rate of women owned businesses is double the rate of those owned by men. Women owned businesses also have more staying power. Three-quarters of those that existed in 1991 were still going strong after three years, compared with two-thirds of all American businesses. The option of business ownership is especially attractive to many women because it is more flexible than a traditional job. Women are now able to fill all roles "expected" of them, wage earner as well as wife and mother.
As discussed, the glass ceiling is still a very real issue that many corporate women deal with on a daily basis. There are efforts being made to rid corporate America of this phenomenon for good, with federal initiatives and assistance for corporate leaders. Women are also taking the matter into their own hands by starting their own businesses and therefore creating an environment free of this barrier. Despite these efforts it is important to remember that the glass ceiling has not yet been shattered, perhaps only raised.
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