As a woman in the workforce I often find myself surrounded by proof that the glass ceiling does exist. Working in the healthcare field it’s not a secret that most upper management and top level positions are held by men. The environment of my institution however is one in which diversity is embraced and equality is valued however the gender bias seems to go unnoticed. There aren’t training modules that can easily identify key steps to take in establishing gender equality, as there are in establishing a culturally diverse, inclusive workplace. Discrimination and racism are terrible things. In today’s society we should be finding ways to bridge the gaps between us and uniting one another. But the gap between men and women seems to still exist in plain sight. Northouse (2013) claims that the pipeline theory is one explanation as to why women may not hold the same positions or leadership roles as men. The pipeline theory suggests that women merely haven’t been in management positions long enough to be considered for top level positions. I can’t speak for all institutions but for mine I can assure you the pipeline theory doesn’t hold water. There are women in plenty of management positions, positions which many of them have held for at least the duration of time I’ve been here (6 years) but they don’t seem to break through to the other side. The organization is transparent in that we are full aware of all the credentials and expertise these individuals have, yet why aren’t women actively moving up the chain?
Another explanation Northouse (2013) provides is that women do not have the management experience. Well if the pipeline theory, at least in my place of employment, is clearly not relevant, then this explanation holds no validity either. Clearly women are holding management roles, and staying in those roles for an extended period of time. So what other explanation is there? Northouse (2013) provides a third explanation and quite possibly the most controversial. He suggests that women may be unqualified for these positions, because they lack self confidence and/or are less suited for executive demands. I don’t believe this explanation fits the situation either. I believe the reason for the gender gap and gender disparity among top level positions is due to a handful of things. I believe prejudice and discrimination lay at the foundation. Without even knowing it, by continuing to choose men for top level positions instead of women institutions are perpetuating the glass ceiling. They are guilty of encouraging it possibly without realizing they are doing so. We’ve seen on the news countless stories of how gender gaps particularly in wages can be seen in the entertainment industry, politics, business and elsewhere. If we are not actively working to equalize genders and level the playing field so that both men and women are held to the same standards and valued based on identical criteria, we are passively allowing for the continuation of this form of discrimination.
Certain cultural and societal histories also serve as barriers. Some people still believe that men and women have separate, distinct gender roles to which they should adhere to. These beliefs contradict modern society’s push for equality, so even if large scale changes are implemented, the glass ceiling will still exist if the sentiment doesn’t trickle downward. And we cannot solely blame men, or industries for these issues. The concept of gender roles are found everywhere. Why are dolls primarily marketed to girls while action figures primarily marketed to boys? Why are little girls encouraged to be princesses instead of scientists or presidents? Removal of the glass ceiling requires the breakdown of gender roles that have been created centuries ago. In the last 50 years immense progress has been made for womens’ rights and equality but we still have a long way to go. Organizations need to recognize this disparity and just as they do for diversity, implement tools and methods of addressing this issue and remedying it.
Ericka Diaz says
While women are outpacing men in terms of college graduations and make up more than half of the US population, men still dominate the highest leadership spaces. I have read some startling statistics about how men are preferred as leaders by both men and women. In fact, I was surprised to find myself identifying as a person preferring male leadership, even though I am a woman who is liberal, progressive, and feminist in my societal views.
Sheryl Sandburg gave a Ted Talk entitled Why we have too few women leaders. In her talk she presented evidence of how few top positions are held by women. Of 190 available Head of state positions, only nine are held by women (Sandberg, 2010). Of all the people in parliament in the world, 13 percent are women (Sandberg, 2010). In the corporate sector, women at the top, C-level jobs, board seats — tops out at 15, 16 percent (Sandberg, 2010). According to Sanburg (2010), these numbers have not changed since 2002. These statistics raise concerns for me as a woman who aspires to hold leadership positions in the future. It gives me the impression that the top spaces in any profession will be silently guarded and reserved for men, even if they are slightly less qualified than the female candidates. After all, I’m certain that there are more than 9 qualified women interested in becoming a Head of State.
Part of the problem is that women leaders are charged with being dominant and aggressive to meet the stereotype threats that exist and bind our perceptions leadership with masculine characteristics, while also being communal and displaying traditionally feminine characteristics such as nurturing and kindness. According to a spotlight leadership style article on progressivewomensleadership.com, “[democratic] along with other participatory [leadership] styles, tend to work well for women as they play to traditionally feminine traits. They promote team work, communication, patience, flexibility and are future looking” (Novick, 2016). However, women still have to be careful to present aggressively enough to be convincing as a leader in all of the traditionally stereotypical ways we have come to expect from leader. The double bind is that women are often penalized for conforming to the stereotypes, and so trough the labyrinth we go, constantly looking for new ways to be taught enough in the most non-threatening way possible.
Women also share the burdens experienced by many cultural minorities. Among them are the ways in which we are held to higher standards and expected to outperform our peers in order to overcome gender bias and stereotypes that are held by men and women alike. We are often working in inhospitable corporate culture that requires performance with sometimes fewer resources. We are up against gender biases that put preference for gender similarity in promotion decision, and often deal with ignorance my males peers and superiors that keep challenging work assignments away from women and in turn keep women from advancing.
I am sure you have no issue with a pipeline of women at your workplace. It seems that it is common knowledge that women face a “glass ceiling,” but not much is changing to make career growth for women equal to that of men. I am alarmed by how little this issue is discussed in mainstream society, and how little appears to be done to change things. It is frustrating and scary to imagine most women succumbing to the dystopian fate that awaits ambitious women seeking to rise to the top of their field. It seems that women are too often relegated to lower positions where they are highly repressed, like secretarial work and nursing, instead of the higher levels of surgery and government.
THanks for your post!
Ericka
Novick, B. S. (2016, May 12). Leadership style spotlight: The democratic leader Retrieved from https://www.progressivewomensleadership.com/leadership-style-spotlight-the-democratic-leader/
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2017). PSYCH 485 Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1834746/modules.
Sandberg, S. (2010, December 21). Why we have too few women leaders Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders?language=en