INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS

International Human Rights



International Human Rights Issue: Glass Ceiling

Executive Summary

The expression glass ceiling used to describe artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing to, positions of power offering higher salaries more responsibility and authority. Research has shown that, compared to men and whites, women and racial minorities in professional occupations concentrated in lower- and middle-level positions and underrepresented in upper managerial ranks. Positive steps would be taken to promote equality of opportunity, ranging from affirmative action legislation to greater diversity in hiring and promotions on the part of employers. Despite these widely publicized efforts, women and minorities still do not enjoy the same advancement opportunities as men and whites.

Since the first version of this essay appeared in 2002, women have made little headway in attaining top management positions.

Although women now hold more than 50 percent of all management and professional positions, they make up less than 2 percent of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 C.E.O.s (1.8 percent of the Fortune 500 and 1.9 percent of the top 1000).

Only 16 percent of women earn six-figure salaries, and only 15 percent of the dollars loaned to business in the United State loaned to women-owned businesses, almost none of that coming from venture capitalists.

While four years is a relatively short, global economic and political factors make it to be unlikely that men in power will become more open-minded in the not-too-distant future.

It may be women's superior skills at the “take care” behavior of supporting and rewarding that will allow them to transform the world, but not by withdrawing to home and hearth (as a recent article in the New York Times suggested that female undergraduates at Yale are planning to do). Rather the glass ceiling might be considered a boot camp, a rigorous training ground for understanding how things work. Then, if frustrated in their efforts, to attain top leadership in business, women have the option of using these skills in addressing social and political challenges.

While these positions possibly have fewer perks and glamour than being the C.E.O. of a Fortune 500 company, in the long run they have the potential to bring more benefit to a larger group of people.

Introduction

There is much evidence to suggest that “who you know” (network ties) is as important as “what you know” (education, skills) in moving up the organizational hierarchy. Their comparatively recent entry into the labor market, women and minorities still have difficulty in setting up and expanding professional connections. Not being able to tap into the “old boy” network is detrimental to their career progress.

To, crack the glass ceiling, female and minority workers have had to build up their reputation and gain access to resources through relationships with people with status and authority inside and outside their organization, be they acquaintances, mentors, sponsors, or colleagues. Additionally, female and minority workers are especially vulnerable when they are present in only token numbers. Limited representation increases the pressure on them to perform, heightens their differences from the ...