Showing papers on "Glass ceiling published in 2001"

Is There a Glass Ceiling in Sweden

Abstract: Using data from 1998, we show that the gender log wage gap in Sweden increases throughout the wage distribution and accelerates in the upper tail of the distribution, which we interpret as a glass ceiling effect. Using earlier data, we show that the same pattern held at the beginning of the 1990's but not in the prior two decades. Further, we do not find this pattern either for the log wage gap between immigrants and non-immigrants in the Swedish labor market or for the gender gap in the U.S. labor market. Our findings suggest that a gender-specific mechanism in the Swedish labor market hinders women from reaching the top of the wage distribution. Using quantile regressions, we examine whether this pattern can be asribed primarily to gender differences in labor market characteristics or to gender differences in rewards to those characteristics. We estimate pooled quantile regressions with gender dummies, as well as separate quantile regressions by gender, and we carry out a decomposition analysis in the spirit of the Oaxaca-Blinder technique. Even after extensive controls for gender differences in age, education (both level and field), sector, industry, and occupation, we find that the glass ceiling effect we see in the raw data persists to a considerable extent.

The Glass Ceiling Effect

Abstract: The popular notion of glass ceiling effects implies that gender (or other) disadvantages are stronger at the top of the hierarchy than at lower levels and that these disadvantages become worse later in a person's career. We define four specific criteria that must be met to conclude that a glass ceiling exists. Using random effects models and data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we examine gender and race inequalities at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of white male earnings. We find evidence of a glass ceiling for women, but racial inequalities among men do not follow a similar pattern. Thus, we should not describe all systems of differential work rewards as "glass ceilings." They appear to be a distinctively gender phenomenon.

Breaking through the glass ceiling. Women in management

Abstract: Labour force participation - women in professional and managerial jobs improving women's qualifications and opportunities - key to breaking through the glass ceiling enterprise practices and women's careers promoting women in management international action to promote equal employment opportunities summary and points for discussion.

Distorted Views Through the Glass Ceiling: The Construction of Women's Understandings of Promotion and Senior Management Positions

Abstract: The article explores the issue of whether women's under-representation in senior management positions can be explained in part by the messages they are given about the promotion process and the requirements of senior jobs. Through interviews with over 50 male and female junior and senior managers in a UK high street bank, issues relating to the required personality and behaviour characteristics seen to be associated with success and with the long hours culture emerged as important. In many cases men and women identified the same issues but the significance of them for their own decision-making and the way others interpreted their behaviour varied — particularly in relation to the perceived incompatibility between active parenting and senior roles. The findings provide an account of the context in which women make career choices which highlights the limitations of analyses which see women's absence as the result either of procedural discrimination or women's primary orientation towards home and family. The findings also highlight the problems of treating commitments towards gender equality as an isolated issue and stress the importance of understanding responses to policies and ways of achieving change within the broader context of an analysis of the organization's culture.

Women middle managers’ perception of the glass ceiling

Abstract: Women now represent approximately half of the working population in the USA. In 1996, the US Department of Labor reported that women comprised 44 percent of the total persons employed in executive, administrative and managerial occupations. However, this category is extremely broad, and women are grossly underrepresented at the top executive positions of Fortune 500 corporations. In 1995 the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission produced two reports: the first finding the existence of a glass ceiling; and the second presenting strategic recommendations on what corporations could do to remove or reduce these findings. Explores how women in middle management perceive their career advancement opportunities and what they consider their organizations to be doing to support their advancement. Overall, results suggest that the glass ceiling is still an issue for women within organizations. Finally, the business implications of this are considered.

Dodging the glass ceiling? Networks and the new wave of women entrepreneurs

Abstract: Openings of women-owned businesses have radically accelerated recently. This paper explores the causes and results of this phenomenon. Noting the predictive weaknesses of the canonical neoclassical...

Taking a hard look at formal mentoring programs

Abstract: Research indicates that although women have achieved virtual parity with men when entering organizations, within five to six years their careers begin to lag behind those of their male counterparts. This lag is often attributed to the glass ceiling and mentoring has been suggested as one tool to assist women in breaking through. We still have very little empirical research that informs our understanding of the effectiveness of formal mentoring in comparison to informal mentoring relationships. The purpose of this article is to take a hard look at formal mentoring programs and the implications for women participating in them. It compares formal mentoring to informal mentoring. It focuses on the practice of formal mentoring relationships and the unique challenges that women may face as they negotiate these planned relationships as well as some suggested strategies to deal with these challenges. It concludes by discussing the implications of this work as well as alternative sources of support for women.

“Holding Back”: Negotiating a Glass Ceiling on Women's Muscular Strength

Abstract: Researchers have highlighted how numerous women in male-dominated occupations face a glass ceiling. Using ethnography and interview work, I argue that this ceiling is also useful to understanding women in fitness. That is, women in fitness—particularly those who seek muscular strength in the weight room—may find their bodily agency limited not by biology but by ideologies of emphasized femininity that structure the upper limit on women's “success.” Results show that nonlifters and moderate lifters uniquely negotiate the glass ceiling by avoiding, holding back on, or adjusting weight workouts. I consider what forces aid women in forging new definitions of emphasized femininity that push upward on a glass ceiling on muscularity over time. As women increasingly flock to fitness sites, daring to cross into the previously male-only territory of the weight room, we must ask whether a contained and “held back” musculature for women is now the (heterosexy) standard that simultaneously creates “new” womanhood as i...

Is the Glass Ceiling Unbreakable?: Habitus, Fields, and the Stalling of Women and Minorities in Management

Abstract: The phenomenon of the glass ceiling is examined through the lenses of macro-organizational and sociological theory. Presented are several theoretical bases for viewing the glass ceiling and its perpetuation as the consequences of U.S. history, the distribution of capital among its people, the actions of the powerful that help them retain power, and the reality that the majority of the powerful in America have White maleness in common.

European female expatriate careers: critical success factors

Abstract: The particular focus of this paper is female expatriates in Europe, which is a relatively under‐researched area. A total of 50 senior female expatriate managers were interviewed, representing a wide range of industry and service sectors. The aims of the paper are to highlight a number of critical factors which are necessary for successful female expatriate assignments. The results of the study show that female expatriates are disadvantaged in their careers because of the lack of organizational support which is readily available to their male counterparts. This lack of organizational support, together with the invisible barriers which constitute the glass ceiling, explain the relative scarcity of female expatriate managers.

Sisters Mentoring Sisters: Africentric Leadership Development for Black Women in the Academy.

Abstract: The Sisters Mentoring Sisters (SISTERS) Project was designed to help Black women at a predominantly White Central Florida state university develop career plans and strategies for their personal growth and professional development. Focus group participants discussed topics such as the needs of Black women at all levels of the academy, strategies for developing their leadership abilities, and opportunities for their career advancement. Focus group data were used to plan group mentoring sessions that focused on empowering participants to obtain administrative and professional positions in higher education. Africentric concepts and principles provided a framework for didactic and experiential activities that emphasized three types of individual and organizational support: emotional, informational, and structural. Echoing the familiar African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," the Sisters Mentoring Sisters (SISTERS) Project is based on the philosophy that "It takes a village to sustain a Black woman." The SISTERS Project was designed to create a "village" of caring and supportive women of African descent with the skills, attitudes, and desire to mentor and be mentored by each other. Its threefold mission is: to foster challenging and rewarding experiences within an academic environment that is perceived by some as neglectful, antagonistic, and at times brutally threatening; to provide the SISTERS participants with a variety of effective techniques and strategies for nurturing one another; and to help these women address the realities of "glass ceiling" issues that often exist for women, particularly those women who are Black, in the academy.1 PROJECT CONTEXT The SISTERS Project was implemented in a large, predominantly White, metropolitan research university in Central Florida that serves approximately 34,000 students, 55% of whom are female and 7.5% of whom are of Black, non-Hispanic origin. Of approximately 3,000 full-time employees, 156 are Black women. Though Black women are employed at various levels throughout the university, the largest number (55) serve in clerical positions. In only a very few instances are more than one Black woman employed in the same unit, a situation that severely limits the amount of contact between and among Black women on the campus. One of the goals of the university's current administration is for the institution to become more inclusive and diverse. Central to achieving this goal are initiatives designed to enhance the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women, people of color, and members of other protected classes. In the past, opportunities for members of these targeted groups to engage in leadership development and mentoring activities at the institution typically were limited to a few Black female faculty and the small number of Black women in middle- and upper-management positions. Opportunities for Black women in career service positions to participate in such activities were essentially nonexistent. The SISTERS Project was conceived as a means of addressing this deficiency by providing all Black women employed by the university with a structured process for developing knowledge and skills that could potentially lead to their career advancement. The project was also implemented to help combat the feelings of isolation and alienation that kept Black women at the university physically divided and emotionally estranged. PROJECT FOCUS Leadership development for women is often intended to help women break through the so-called "glass ceiling"2 of invisible but formidable workplace barriers (Shaw, Champlin, Hartmann, & Spalter-Roth, 1993, p. 1). For women of African descent in the United States, however, the metaphorical ceiling blocking their career advancement may be more than mere glass-indeed, some have likened it more to concrete (Anderson, 1998). The SISTERS Project aims to help Black women in a collegiate setting penetrate and break through workplace barriers ranging from subtle racist attitudes and prejudices to blatant discriminatory practices. …

Breaking through the glass ceiling. Women in management (Updated version in 2004 included)

Abstract: Labour force participation - women in professional and managerial jobs improving women's qualifications and opportunities - key to breaking through the glass ceiling enterprise practices and women's careers promoting women in management international action to promote equal employment opportunities summary and points for discussion.

Women and men in senior management – a “different needs” hypothesis

Abstract: Whilst agreeing wholeheartedly that a “glass ceiling” exists and restricts entry of women into senior management positions, this article postulates that this factor only partly explains why there are fewer women in senior level management positions than there are men. Suggests that some women are less interested than men in reaching senior management ranks. It is proposed that differences in the proportion of women and men who wish to be senior managers may be explained by differences in the way they choose to have their needs met. Postulates that the need for affiliation, achievement, power and self‐actualisation in men and women are, in general, met in different ways. One implication of the “different needs” hypothesis is that it is equality of opportunity rather than numerical equality for which we should be striving.

The Political Glass Ceiling: Gender, Strategy, and Incumbency in U.S. House Elections, 1978-1998

Abstract: Why has the integration of women into elective office, particularly Congress, been so slow? We argue that incumbency and the general lack of competition in American elections serve as a “political glass ceiling,” having a dampening effect on the number of women running in both primary and general U.S. House elections. With data from House elections from 1978-1998, we find that although there have been general upward trends in the number of women running in primaries, winning primaries, and winning election to Congress, there is a distinct gender gap between the parties. The growth in the presence of women since 1988 is largely a Democratic phenomenon. In addition, women are strategic in their decisions regarding whether or not they will run; the likelihood of success influences the decision to become a candidate. Women are far more likely to run in districts with an open seat than they are in districts where they would face a safe incumbent. This implies that the number of women entering the Hous...

Women, gender and work : what is equality and how do we get there?

Abstract: Women, Gender and Work was chosen as a Notable Document of 2001 by the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) of the American Library Association (ALA). A list of the winning titles was published on May 15, 2001, in Library Journal. People are not defined solely by their work, nor is it possible to ignore the effects of factors outside the workplace on a person's status at work. To seek equality at work without seeking equality in the larger society - and at home - is illusory. Thus an examination of the issues surrounding women, gender and work must be holistic. That means considering the role of productive work in life as a whole and the distribution of unpaid work as well as the myriad questions relating to employment. This important anthology brings together the thinking of leading philosophers, economists and lawyers on this complex subject. Selected recent articles from the multidisciplinary International Labour Review are assembled for the first time to illuminate questions such as how we should define equality, what equal opportunity means and what statistics tell us about differences between men and women at work, how the family confronts globalization and what is the role of law in achieving equality. There is an examination of policy - to deal with sexual harassment and wage inequality, for example, as well as part-time work, the glass ceiling, social security, and much more. A major reference on the best of current research and analysis on gender roles and work.

Breaking the Barriers: Positive Discrimination Policies for Women

Abstract: Women’s social and economic position has gradually improved in many societies due to long-term secular trends, such as developments in female enrolment in higher education and adult literacy, labor force participation, and real GDP per capita.1 Nevertheless progress in female empowerment in elected office has lagged behind in many established democracies such as Japan, France, Greece, and Israel, as well as in many transitional and consolidating democratic states (see Figure 6.1). At the start of the twenty-first century the glass ceiling for women’s political empowerment in elected office remains almost uncracked: nine out of seven members of national parliaments worldwide are male, and women make up more than one third of the legislature in only a few nations.2 Yet against this backdrop, in recent decades countries as diverse as South Africa, India, Norway, Britain, New Zealand, and Argentina have experienced a decisive political breakthrough for women parliamentarians due to positive discrimination strategies implemented via party regulations or electoral laws. In a model of punctuated equilibrium, changing the rules for political recruitment has often—although not always— opened the door for women to enter elected office.

The Electoral Glass Ceiling: Gender, Viability, and the News in U.S. Senate Campaigns

Abstract: Scholars such as Kahn and others have shown that the print news media have covered women candidates in ways likely to diminish their electoral viability. Those effects have yet to be verified in a non-experimentalsetting or extended to television. We offer non-experimental evidence of news-based effects for print news and television. We examine the effects of media coverage patterns by analyzing Senate races using the 1988-92 ANES Senate Election Study. Our results provide consistent support for the contention that news media coverage has disadvantaged women candidates in the eyes of voters. This work suggests a need for greater attention to research on broadcast news coverage of women candidates.

Breaking through : the glass ceiling revisited

Abstract: Women are very actively involved in education in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. They hold more teaching positions than men do, but significantly fewer administrative positions. This pattern is even more apparent in high schools. The purpose of this study was to research reasons for this phenomenon, specifically to revisit the concept of the glass ceiling (Morrison, White and Van Velsor, 1987), namely the invisible barrier that keeps capable women from attaining the administrative positions to which they aspire. The study examined whether this glass ceiling still exists, and if so, how it manifests itself for female high school vice-principals in Newfoundland. -- In 1999, eight female vice-principals in high schools from across Newfoundland were involved in this phenomenological interview study to establish their perceptions with respect to opportunities and concerns for women in administrative positions in high schools in Newfoundland. Based on the data collected and on available statistics several conclusions were drawn. -- There are factors that influence women's opportunities in high school administration in either negative or positive ways. Each negative factor represents a pane of glass in the glass ceiling and the positive influences tend to offset to some degree some of the negative factors. Some of these originate from sources that are external to women, while others come from within the women themselves. Not all panes of the glass ceiling are imposed upon women from external sources. Several of the layers of glass are created and constructed by women, and in this way women limit their own career opportunities. -- The glass ceiling is very complex and is comprised of multiple panes. As each pane is broken women are in a more advantageous position to advance professionally. It is the internal, female-created panes of the glass ceiling that appear to be the most persistent, the most difficult for women to break through.

Chinese students’ perceptions of women in management: will it be easier?

Abstract: An attitude survey was conducted with 72 management majors attending a prestigious business university in Beijing, China. The results indicate that there is still a significant “glass ceiling” effect to accepting women as they climb up the management hierarchy. The group estimated that it would take at least 32 years before equality would be reached. Women were less likely to prefer to work for a woman than for male subjects. Women were described as more incompetent, slower, weaker, more a follower‐than‐a‐leader, more lenient, more democratic, less active, and more friendly than male managers. Women were significantly more in agreement with the idea of being both a professional and a wife. The results reflect a similar attitudinal position to US women. The conclusion is that it will not be easier for Chinese women to succeed than it is for women in theUSA.

Can restructuring fracture the glass ceiling? The case of women transport and logistics managers

Abstract: Examines the impact of restructuring on the career progression of women transport and logistics managers. Research to date has indicated that restructuring can have detrimental effects on women managers, as middle management levels are reduced through delayering and as the organisation takes on a more competitive and “masculine” culture. Results from this survey on women transport and logistics managers indicate that restructuring can have positive effects. While women experience longer working hours and increased workloads, they encounter fewer career barriers and a more positive attitude to women managers in the organisation. This may point to greater opportunities for training in a changing organisation and a higher probability of new posts and positions being created, as proverbial “dead‐wood” is shaken out. Perhaps more importantly, the climate of change may help to “unfreeze” and challenge entrenched attitudes and to create a new meritocracy, in which women can compete on a more equal footing with men.

Women In Agricultural Education: Who Are You?

Abstract: In a traditionally male dominated field, like agricultural education, artificial barriers based on attitudinal bias often prevent qualified women from reaching their potential Due to the late entrance of women into this field, there are very few role models for young women entering the profession This descriptive study was designed to create a demographic profile of the women in secondary and middle school level agricultural education across the United States Although the women surveyed reported high levels of satisfaction in their profession, the actual ratio of women to men is still quite low (1:6) The large percentage of women that felt they had experienced some barriers due to their gender may provide some explanation for this discrepancy Acceptance by peers, community and administrators combined with the challenge of balancing family and career appear to be areas of concern for these women Introduction “The term the ‘glass ceiling’ first came into use in 1986, when two

Social Work Academia: Is the Glass Ceiling Beginning to Crack?:

Abstract: This study assessed the progress made by women in social work education in attaining top-level administrative positions—director of a baccalaureate program and dean or director of a master's degree program— from 1985 to 1996. It found that, unlike higher education in general, social work academia has made significant progress in redressing the gross imbalance of male to female leaders at the undergraduate and graduate levels and could well serve as amodel for other disciplines.

The ILS professional in the City of London personality and glass ceiling issues

Abstract: Presents a literature review of the common theories of personality and the testing methods used to determine people’s personality types. Reports results of a survey of a sample of 53 librarians and their managers working in financial institutions in the City of London. The Integrated Psychological Type Indicator (IPTI) personality testing instrument was used to investigate the so-called ‘glass ceiling’ issues, the invisible barrier existing in organizations, particularly that discriminating against groups such as women. Findings indicated that the major glass ceiling issues are not related to gender as much as commitment, where library and information science (LIS) staff tend not to have sufficient commitment to corporate goals. The personalities of LIS staff differed from those measured in earlier studies. LIS staff in the City of London are extroverted and exhibit business qualities, reflecting the needs of their employers. Concludes that further research is needed to assess whether this reflects a tren...

College Heads Pledge to Remove Barriers

Abstract: BOSTON-- The leaders of nine top U.S. research universities this week pledged to smash the glass ceiling that hinders women from advancing at their institutions. Meeting on Monday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the all-male group stopped short of setting a specific agenda but acknowledged that women face greater obstacles in climbing the academic ladder.

A Quantitative Analysis of the Personal Characteristics and Workplace Experiences of Women and Men as Professional and Community Leaders

Abstract: In the past, the subject of leadership in women has been confined to anecdotal figures who are remarkable for their small numbers. Women leaders have emerged as a more common phenomenon in American society in the last three decades, reflecting the transition in the status of women in society. According to Dye and Strickland (1982), between 1970 and 1980, the total number of women managers and administrators in the U.S. workforce increased over 100%. However, this change has not extended through all levels of leadership. Hymowitz & Schellhardt found that by 1985 only 2.7% of the top executives and directors of AT&T were women and 8.3% and 15% of division and district managers were women. In contrast, 22% of second-level supervisors and 38.7% of first -level supervisors were women. The slow progress of women on this front has two possible explanations. One is "the glass ceiling," a term that was coined in 1986 by Hymowitz and Schellhardt, two Wall Street Journal reporters. This is an invisible barrier that blocks women from advancing to senior leadership positions in organizations. An alternative explanation to "the glass ceiling" might be a delay in the pipeline with appreciable numbers of women only now reaching the point in their careers where senior positions are available. With increasing competition for leadership positions, women will likely encounter a growing number of obstacles to promotion (Pipelines of Progress, An Update on the Glass Ceiling Initiative, 1992). In a survey of female senior executives, one-third believed that the number of female executives in their companies would remain static or decrease (Business Week, June 8, 1992). In 1991, the author was a participant in a yearlong program run by a private, nonprofit organization for women professional and community leaders. Beginning that year, the author initiated a study of these women. The goal of this study was to discern how factors of personal background and workplace experience compare in successful women and men leaders. It was then extrapolated that these factors might influence the course of advancement for women leaders vis a vis men leaders.

Communication networks of women and men in a public accounting firm: A comparative analysis

Abstract: Although men and women enter public accounting in comparable numbers, a disproportionately small number of women advance to the rank of partner. A suggestion is sometimes made that women are either unaware of, or intentionally excluded from, informal communication networks within a firm. These networks socialize individuals into the organization, provide support and offer opportunities to informally influence decisions. The general assumption is that women are not integrated into organizational communication networks; however there has been no empirical research on actual network formation within an accounting firm. This study reports the results of an analysis of work and friendship networks among women and men in an office of an international accounting firm. The analysis uses a computer algorithm to identify networks of closely connected individuals known as cliques and to derive measures of an individual's prominence within communication networks. The clique analysis shows a notable lack of close relationships between female managers and male partners. Although women participate in the firm's informal communication networks, female mangers are less prominent in informal networks and do not have close ties with male partners, which suggests that women may face a glass ceiling in advancement to partner