Abstract
This is a literature review on various research articles on the glass ceiling phenomena. The purpose of this literature review is to understand the glass ceiling phenomena, by looking at the various ways in which the glass ceiling phenomena presents itself. This literature review also intends to come up with various strategies which can be used to break through the glass ceiling. The glass ceiling phenomena has not yet been defined clearly by any of the researchers, but most articles agree that the phenomena discriminates women from career development. Means in which the glass ceiling effect manifests itself include through lower pay to women leaders as compared to their male counterparts on similar managerial positions, as well as the few number of women in corporate offices as well as other positions that are considered high value to the society such as surgery. The glass ceiling effect can be broken by training women leaders on strategic leadership skills and gender roles such as child bearing should not be used to discriminate women from managerial positions. Parameters used to gauge women leaders should be gender sensitive and employers should not have absurd expectations from women leaders.
Introduction
The glass ceiling is an unseen phenomenon in corporate organizations which acts as a barrier to career women looking to climb up the corporate ladder despite their achievements and qualifications. The glass ceiling has caused women in the society to be at a disadvantage as compared to their male counterparts, with most women being discriminated from managerial positions and women leaders being subjected to low pay. This paper intends to examine recent research articles on the glass ceiling effect. This essay will analyze the glass ceiling effect by addressing several questions on the glass ceiling effect with the use of a literature review on various research articles on the topic.
Research Purpose
This paper intends to define the glass ceiling effect and demonstrate ways in which the glass ceiling effect manifests itself as well as come up with various strategies which can be used to break through the glass ceiling.
Research questions
Define the glass ceiling effect?
How does the glass ceiling effect manifest itself?
How can the glass ceiling effect be broken?
Literature review outline
The Need for Research
Research articles in the past have failed to come up with a clear definition of the term with most of these articles providing dichotomous and contradicting definitions to the glass ceiling effect .
The glass ceiling effect is explained in various contexts and as such it is not clear if it is a phenomenon that is prevalent or that which manifests itself in a few isolated cases .
Women leaders cannot fully commit to their leadership responsibilities and most employers are forced to look for an extra hand to succeed women leaders for instance when the person in question has to go away on maternity leave .
Research Question 1: Definition of the glass ceiling effect.
The glass ceiling effect refers to a situation facing women in corporate organizations that is not easy to recognize but which hinders women’ career development and which prevents both women and minorities in corporates from climbing the managerial hierarchy .
The glass ceiling effect can also refer to all barriers which hinder the development of the career woman at their place of work .
Research Question 2: Manifestation of the glass ceiling effect.
Women make up to 50% of the work force in the United States. However, less than 15% corporate offices are taken by women and these women take up for less than 5% of positions as Chief executive Officers (CEO) . A study conducted on the number of women allowed into medical schools 50 years ago shows that the number of female students was way less as compared to that of their male counterparts . A more alarming fact is that of the few women who graduated from the medicals schools only a few of them were allowed into specialties in the surgery room such as anesthesiology, gynecology and surgery.
Women are also associated with corporate roles which are considered to be less demanding such as publication relations officers since they are considered to be more flexible especially in terms of working hours and the high rate of acceptance by consumer demographics as compared to men . Professions in sports even those that are considered as feminine comprise of very few women. Most women have resigned to notions in the society such as the notion that sports is a field for men so as to deal with the glass ceiling effect and tend to avoid such professions altogether.
There is a large pay gap between men and women holding the same managerial positions with women in managerial positions being subjected to pay penalties of up to 7% per child . A study that was conducted on men and women holding the same managerial positions proved that both men and women show the same commitment to both their work life and their family life. The pay gap is therefore not called for and this proves that women are discriminated at their places of work.
Research Question 3: Breaking the glass ceiling.
A study was conducted to analyze gender bias and differences in the leadership skills which are applied by both men and women. This study used 857 men and an equal number of women in top managerial positions in five different countries in six different companies across Western Europe, the United States and Australia. The study found no bias against women leaders but rather the bias was directed to the advantage of women leaders . This study discovered that women used more forceful leadership skills associated with tactics leading to execution while men leadership styles allowed the application of strategies, a leadership style common among senior leadership positions. The glass ceiling effect can be overcome by imparting strategic leadership skills on women leaders to make the better corporate leaders which will enable more women to climb up the corporate ladder.
Organizations with more women employees are more effective and exhibit less cases of work life conflict. Women are subjected to discrimination as a result of the conflict between gender roles such as child bearing and societal roles such as leadership . Most corporate organization hinder the development of the career woman through unrealistic expectations from women leaders, structured obstacles in the human resource management and differing mentoring styles from those which are applied on men leaders.
Elliott and Stead conducted a study on 6 women leaders which proved that women leaders apply skills acquired through their entire life. They gather these skills during their upbringing, network and alliances, focus and the environment. Women apply leadership skills which are relational, contextual and dynamic . These are qualities of a good leader and they come in handy especially during decision making. Organizations need to set standards from women leaders which are different from those that are applied on their male counterparts. By understanding the woman leader organizations can be able to use to tap the woman leadership skills to a maximum and enhance women career development instead of acting as barriers to their development.
In conclusion the glass ceiling effect discriminates the career woman pursuing career development in the corporate managerial hierarchy. The glass ceiling effect is a phenomenon in the society barring women from climbing up the corporate ladder. The glass ceiling manifests itself through the few women in corporate offices and the even fewer women acting as CEOs in the corporate organizations that they work. This is in spite of the fact that womenfolk account for half of the work force in corporate organizations. The few women leaders that are there are also subjected to lower pay wages as compared to their male counterparts in similar managerial positions. The glass ceiling effect can be broken by understanding the woman leader without measuring her capabilities against those that can be achieved by their male counterparts. Men and women apply different leadership skills and women can also be educated on strategic leadership skills. Corporate organizations should also not discriminate the woman leader on the basis of gender roles such as child bearing.
References
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Kaiser, R. B., & Wallacce, W. T. (2016). Gender bias and substantive differences in ratings of leadership behavior: Toward a new narrative. American pyschological association, 72-98.
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