How Women Are Blocked from Getting to the Top - Essay Example

The glass ceiling: how women are blocked from getting to the top al affiliation The glass ceiling: how women are blocked from getting to the top Despite the gender mainstreaming and affirmative action that have been put in place to bring women into the labor force, they remain the minority in the field. However, there has been an increase in the number of women in the working force with the percentages rising to 74 percent up from an average of 48 percent in the 1960s. According to Insch, McIntyre, & Napier, (2008), the percentage of women is more in some occupations. Thirty one percent of lawyers are women, and 20 percent of the software developers are women. On the other hand, 61 percent of accountants and auditors are women and 81 percent of middle and elementary school teachers are women. From the study, women still make less money than men do. For instance, women make 81 percent of what men make in a week while doing the same work. Men and women behave differently while at their workplace. For instance, Weyer, (2007) confirms that most women are more of team builders and supports emotional while men are good at delegation and managing up. Women do experience when it comes to attainment of high-level positions. Detailed analysis and review of current data on women in the workplace reveals wide transgender differences. This research paper expounds the diverse reasons for the consistent wage and gender gap differences between women and men in senior leadership positions. Furthermore, the task will dig out on the possible solutions to the problem. From the study, there is no difference in men performance more than women that can justify the fact that women are paid 81 percent of what their male counter parts are paid in doing the same jobs. Acker, (2009) points out that corporations with women working as part for the management team have exhibited a higher level of profit making than those made up of men at the leadership position. Despite those clear differences in the management of cooperation in terms of profit making, most industries remain to have men as the leading employees among their staff. Thus, the word glass ceiling which refers to the artificial and invisible barriers affecting women from achieving their full potential in cooperate management came in to curb the barriers to women development. Therefore, there should be remedies put in place to manage the gender disparities in employment, management, and different wage bills. Breaking the glass ceiling necessitates deeds on several fronts hence its complexity. Some of the key players include, employers, women, academic institutions and federal/ state governments as they fight the obstacles holding back women form further development in their careers. The government is in possession of a number of tools that can be utilized to address the barriers at the workplace that are preventing women from achieving their full potential. The government can act like catalyst to enhance gender equality practices and cultures in the country. It can achieve this by creating awareness on the impact of gender inequality on children, women, communities, families the corporate sector and the whole nation. Moreover, by use of governmental policies, it can dismantle artificial barriers at the places of work. Furthermore, the government can roll out projects and plans that can enhance the comprehension of the best intercessions for mitigating the barriers that do exist. In addition, the government can enforce and monitor adherence to the existing legislations prohibiting gender discrimination. Hence, this can lead to a breakdown of the barriers holding women back at the work place. Employers have to be proactive in their pledge to ensuring gender equity and diversity before breaking the glass ceiling. In order for a company to be successful in the breaking the barriers, the program must have the support of the chief executive officer, the program must be specific to the company ,it should address stereotypes and preconceptions, should lay emphasis on accountability, the program should track progress and be comprehensive. This can be achieved by first setting goals on female representation in executive meetings, boards, senior management, and employing women. To do away with structural berries, the employers have to come up with flexible work life balance and work arrangements policies at the same time create pipelines that are effective in identifying, promoting and developing women in the institution. The program should identify exemplary leaders in the in different respects who should mentor women in an organization and help them identify pathways and goals that move forwards their careers. Leadership growth methodologies should be designed in a way that apart from helping women mature the leadership skills, the women should also be able to identify and influence their strengths, gain confidence in risk taking, enhance their confidence and lastly provide them with techniques and tools for shunning existing barriers. Further, women need to create their common capital by developing systems of support, seeking sponsors that should be within their workstation organization, promoting themselves, securing mentors and communicating the value they come with in the working place. According to Purcell, MacArthur, & Samblanet, (2010) Gender diversity was sustained better when the management of the company is committed, with availability of women growth programs, and establishment of tracked variety progress, assessing the human resource process at the same time providing support like childcare for the women in the organization. This is likely to increase participation of women in the company hence increasing their productivity and increased skills gained in the company. Even though unconcealed discrimination has been thrown out of most organization, elusive gender discrimination does exist and it is accountable for the slow movement towards breaking the glass ceiling. Such discernment, demonstrated in various cultural norms and places of work is so rooted in the organization thus making it difficult detect. Only incremental stapes aimed at shunning away from bias that deter women from moving up the ladder of management to the senior level of management in and organization. In summation, Sampson, (2012) proposes that to record small wins and changes in companies, women have to institute acclimatization practices like women adopting more masculine attitudes, accommodation by offering mentoring programs, alternative career tracks and flexible arrangements at work. The company on the other hand must find out the entrenched discrimination against gender that is as a result of cultural pattern. Thus, the company has to curb that problem, thereafter; the company should diagnose bias problems in the human resource sector at the same time identifying patterns to bring about small wins in the programs. Resources have to be devoted towards curbing gender imbalance. References Acker, J. (2009). From glass ceiling to inequality regimes. Sociologie Du Travail, 51, 199-217. Insch, G. S., McIntyre, N., & Napier, N. K. (2008). The expatriate glass ceiling: The second layer of glass. Journal of Business Ethics. Purcell, D., MacArthur, K. R., & Samblanet, S. (2010). Gender and the Glass Ceiling at Work. Sociology Compass, 4, 705-717. Sampson, R. J. (2012). Moving and the Neighborhood Glass Ceiling. Science. Weyer, B. (2007). Twenty years later: explaining the persistence of the glass ceiling for women leaders. Women In Management Review. Read More