GLASS CEILING

Glass Ceiling

Abstract

Glass ceiling is considered as the level beyond which qualified women and minority groups are not allowed to rise in a particular workplace. The glass ceiling consists of those factors, which form this barrier for the competitive women. Glass ceiling comprises of day-to day practices, dealings, attitudes, behavior and internal systems that adds to the career disadvantage of women. These factors are considered to be hindrances in the path of success and progress of the group of women.

Glass Ceiling

Introduction

Glass ceiling is a term that describes the artificial plateau, beyond which women and other minorities are denied the opportunity to advance to upper levels of executive management in corporate America. It has become a routine practice to deny thousands of qualified women the top level jobs, merited by their performance. Glass ceiling is an explanation, which describes the factors involved in the activities of upper levels of executive management in corporate America.

Glass ceiling is considered as the level beyond which qualified women and minority groups are not allowed to rise in a particular workplace. The Glass ceiling consists of those factors, which form this barrier for the competitive women. Glass ceiling comprises of day-to day practices, dealings, attitudes, behavior and internal systems that adds to the career disadvantage of women. These factors are considered to be hindrances in the path of success and progress of the group of women.

Discussion

The Glass ceiling is also known as the brick wall because the women and the minority groups complain about the ineffective behavior of the higher level of management. These workingwomen and the minority groups are really fed up of this discrimination. They want a proper platform where the decisions should be made on the basis of equality. Department of Labor studies have found that women hold only a small percentage of senior management positions in Fortune 500 companies. The "Glass ceiling" barriers toward women are nothing but an insidious form of sex discrimination, in violation of law(www.theglassceiling.com). The studies based on the topic of Glass Ceiling describes that women are deprived of their rights and are not allowed to reach higher level of management. There is a barrier, which stops this effective group of workers to rise. Women are really competitive and they have many in born talents to prove and explore. This group can prove themselves in any field but they are not allowed to make themselves competitive, instead they are degraded and discouraged(Naff, 1994).

Barriers Involved In Glass Ceiling

Some of the main factors, which are involved in the Glass ceiling, can be best described by the studies made by Chicago Area Partnerships. According to these studies the artificial barriers and the hindrances in the way of progress and advancement of women are:

Recruitment

The recruitment process includes the interviews, which are conducted by the higher authorities and this activity is done outside the formal process through networking. This criterion of recruitment is not easily accessible by the women and the minority groups therefore; it acts as a barrier towards the ...