“Glass Ceiling” is a metaphor used for barriers which enable women to see the top positions in management, but not reach them. While the phenomenon is globally relevant, the effects are more prevalent in developing economies where It continues to exist as an implicit barrier which stops women from acquiring prestigious and elite positions within the workforce. The reasons and extent of the glass ceiling are varied across geographies and cultures, but the strongly patriarchal mindset is prevalent even in the most unlikely scenarios.
A study titled ‘Understanding the Levels of Women Empowerment in the Workplace’, released on December 14, 2005 by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), reveals that in medium and large industries, women constitute almost half the workforce, and are represented by only 16% women in the junior management level and 4% in middle and senior management positions respectively. The study also states that 25% of women participants reported gender bias at work and interestingly, 56% of the companies surveyed did not have a formal system to address sexual harassment at work.
An ILO (International Labor Organization) report says “wage differences in male and female managerial jobs all over the world stem from the reality that even when women hold management jobs, they are often in less strategic, lower-paying areas of a company's operations”. A report submitted by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says: "Investment in gender equality yields the highest returns of all development investments”. On average, the women in industry earn 17% less than the males with similar educational background and profile, this divide widens as we go up the corporate ladder. A top earning female, on an average, earns 21% less than her male counterpart.
The various factors which are known to contribute to the glass ceiling effect are implicit and include internal business factors such as lack of mentors and sponsorship, different standards of performance evaluation for genders, and little access to informal communication systems. While more women have mentors at a junior level, they are unable to get sponsors. One of the main reasons for it is not having access to the informal networks of communication. Men instinctively network with other men and hence the male employees often find it easier to find a sponsor. Sponsors can push the career of the employees as well as provide informal career advice about which projects to take and how to approach problems etc.
The societal barriers also play an important role, while more women are getting college education; the number of women in professional courses such as management, engineering, law and chartered accountancy are very low and range from 10-20% of total students at these courses. The female doctors tend to stay with the female-centric streams of pediatrics, and gynecology which fetch a lower pay as compared to venturing out to streams like surgery which pay much higher. In an independent study where career of 18 women from the ’82 batch of IIM Ahmedabad was tracked, only 5% were working, 70% were resting with no intention of joining the workforce again and 25% had turned entrepreneurs.
Traditionally women were assumed to take care of the family and men were the breadwinners. However with changing times as more women have started working, they are now expected to fulfill the roles of both the breadwinner and the home maker. A life time of conditioning results in the women feeling guilty for having career aspirations and spending time away from home. The only way to change this mindset is to introduce the emphasis on gender neutral education from school level and ensure that each child gets equal opportunity to pursue the field of interest irrespective of their gender. Also providing better after-school care to the children of working women, will allow them to work more efficiently.
As cited by Lyness and Thompson in 1997, “One consequence of sex stereotypes is that women's achievements tend to be devalued or attributed to luck or effort rather than ability or skill, and therefore this stereotype has the potential to reduce the organizational awards that they receive.” To escape the glass ceiling, a lot of women are turning entrepreneurs after the middle management level.
A recent study by Catalyst shows that the “Fortune 500 companies with the highest number of women corporate officers yielded, on average 35.1% higher return on equity as compared to companies with lowest number of women corporate officers.”
Transformation will happen in the Indian context with regulation in policies which celebrate gender diversity and allow gender-neutral cultures to flourish. As aptly put by Hema Krishnan, Professor, Xavier University “Organizations are competing in an increasingly global environment which calls for greater adaptability and a superior combination of technical and survival skills. The challenges that women face when climbing the corporate ladder equip them with the skills to cope with uncertainty and to adapt. Second, having an increased representation of women in top positions sends a positive signal to the rest of the organization and augurs well for the treatment of other women. Third, a woman’s leadership style, often perceived to be nurturing, inspires confidence among her peers and subordinates, and especially among the other women. Fourth, women play multiple roles in their personal lives which sharpen their interpersonal, conflict resolution ability and other leadership skills. This combination of adaptability, interaction with peers and subordinates, and an ability to nurture and inspire can help an organization to succeed”
References:
- ‘Women and the Economy in India’ John E. Dunlop and Victoria A. Velkoff - International Programs Center, January, 1999.
- ‘Time for Equality at Work’- International Labor Conference, 91st Session, 2003.
- ‘Breaking through the Glass Ceiling- Women in Management- update 2004, International Labor Office, Geneva
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_ceiling
- http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/hewlett/2009/04/europe_invests_in_women_leade.html
- www.ilpc.org.uk/Portals/56/ilpc2010.../ILPC2010paper-10897.doc
- http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/trim-gender-gap-to-boost-economies-oecd/articleshow/17652601.cms
- Harvard.Business.Review.2009.2010
- http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-11-23/india/27301662_1_top-job-glass-ceiling-woman-boss
- http://tejas-iimb.org/interviews/35.php