I find it refreshing to hear a new term for woman’s’ struggle to make it to the top of an organization. The old term of the “glass ceiling” is based on climbing the ladder to upper management but eventually hitting that glass ceiling and not being able to advance any further. Women climbed and climbed the corporate ladder only to be met with an invisible barrier stopping them. Obviously this term must be outdated since we can see more and more women these days advancing to upper management.
Women facing the leadership labyrinth to reaching management positions now see paths laid out before them and though there will be obstacles, they are given more of a chance now. The term the “labyrinth” came about based on the journey of struggles and challenges all through a woman’s career (Northouse, 2013, p. 353). A labyrinth is ultimately a maze; you must find the right path to take to reach the end. A much more fitting, and updated term for women succeeding in organizations today.
Every person though, not just women, will go through a metaphorical labyrinth to reach their goal. We all must find the right path, though many of us will take wrong turns and hit many dead ends, eventually we reach the end. Some of the dead ends and wrong turns women can come across in the leadership labyrinth are gender differences, prejudice, and human capital differences; all of these are considered factors that can hinder women from being as successful as men (Northouse, 2013, p.355). But with this updated view, it is now seen that these obstacles are no longer stopping women in their tracks from reaching their goals.
It does seem to be a lesser known metaphor but with it, there is more possibility for women. The glass ceiling held women down but the labyrinth allows women to attempt to find their own way and face obstacles, while still having a chance to move past them.
Resources
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
When you look at the numbers as detailed by Northouse it is an impressive accomplishment. Women possess 57% of the bachelor degrees, 60% of the master’s degrees and more than half of the doctorate degrees (Northouse, 2013, p. 352). This accomplishment has been able to help reduce the glass ceiling, but as with many things in life, the obstacle simply transformed into something else. The labyrinth is a better description, but I believe it is for all of us.
Each of us have choices in life that lead us in one direction to the next. This is true in life as well as in our professional career. It does lead us to an end, but we need to remain flexible so we can properly respond to the twists and turns of the labyrinth of life.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (Sixth ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.