The Ceiling versus the Escalator

Traditionally, the glass ceiling was a concept applied to women and some minorities. It was very hard, if not impossible, often times for women to reach upper management positions. No matter how qualified or experienced, they simply were not given opportunities to further advance their careers. Today, there are many more women and minorities in powerful positions. However, the glass ceiling is still very real. “There is an unwritten but additional perquisite for becoming a leader: Even today despite the achievements of exceptional women leaders, some people still question the ability of women to serve in leadership positions” (Engleberg & Wynn; pg. 117.) Both women and men face invisible barriers when it comes to moving to the top floor. Two predominant theories attempt to explain the differences in treatment between white men, women and minorities in the workplace. “The glass ceiling” asserts that there is a limit to how high women and minorities can be promoted (Aulette & Wittner; pg. 187). “The glass escalator” theory suggests that in female- or minority-predominant fields, white men are promoted more quickly and with greater ease (Williams; pg. 256). Women struggle and pound their heads against the fated “glass ceiling” while men face an ironic position of riding the “glass escalator” (Williams; pg. 256) to success, most often unwanted and unsolicited. When it comes to women in traditionally male jobs or men in traditionally female-dominated roles professionally, there’s all kinds of talk about how we have made so much progress and we are still improving. In many ways, this is true. The workplace paradigm is in the visible process of shifting from men conquering the world and women taking care of the men, to women and men taking care of each other and the world.

If you think about the origins of gender discrimination in the workplace, and the advent of women taking “traditional” jobs outside the home, you will begin to see a pattern. Gender discrimination is not born simply of a belief that women are less intelligent or capable than men, but that they are inherently better at different things than men are. The stereotype that women are inherently communicative, nurturing, and compassionate and thus better able to carry out jobs of service, is directly related to the careers that are predominantly female. “Negative perceptions can make it difficult for women to assume and succeed in leadership. If their behavior is similar to that of male leaders, they are perceived as unfeminine. If they act ‘like a lady,’ they are viewed as weak or ineffective” (Engleberg & Wynn; pg. 117). On the flip side, the stereotype that men are inherently strong leaders, more aggressive, protective, organizational, analytical, mathematically minded, spatial, and rational, is directly related to the careers we see men dominating:  The expectation that sex alone is an indicator of certain traits and abilities is still prevalent, however much we believe in a post-sexist society, because even as we are evolving these misguided beliefs about gender roles and allowing careers for men and women to overlap, deep-seated understandings of femininity and masculinity continue to penetrate our attitudes and actions. “Culture provides guidance and some cultures have rigid rules for expected females and male roles, and as such, provide value and the subsequent expected behavioral norms for men and women within each culture” (Moran, Remington Abramson & Moran; pg. 143). The perfect example of this is the “glass ceiling” for women and the “glass escalator” for men. Despite women’s advancement in business, “stereotypical and negative expectations still persist” (Engleberg & Wynn; pg. 118) and can exist on the opposite end of the spectrum. “Stereotypes can hinder the advancement of women” (Moran, Remington Abramson & Moran; pg. 149) whereas culturally influenced gender role expectations can inhibit male advancement.

With all this said, what happens if the coin is flipped? Men finding themselves is women-dominated professions, like nursing or teaching, would they face the same stereotypical negative behavior? While women encounter a glass ceiling in their career advancement (invisible barriers that constrain their promotion due to the gender biased attitudes of men in the higher positions) men seem to struggle against a glass escalator. Sociologist Christine Williams first coined the term and in her research found that often men are subtly pushed to move up in their professions and as if on a moving escalator, they must work to stay in place. Because of these expectations, men starting in pink-collar fields can face negative stereotypes and gender-based discrimination from the public. On the other hand, men might also receive benefits because of their under representation in these fields. Surprisingly no.  Instead of men comforting the same issues as women, it’s been discovered that the exact opposite occurs. “Men find themselves welcome and given preferential treatment with this token status” (Aulette & Wittner; pg. 187). Due to the lax of men in certain women-dominate professions, men experience positive reinforcement in and often times “are effectively being kicked upstairs” (Williams; pg. 256), in essence being given a first glass ticket to the glass escalator to management. Nice huh? “Often the pressures keeping men out of certain specialties were subtle. Some men described being tracked into practice areas within their professions which were considered more legitimate for men. Those specialties considered more legitimate practice areas for men also tend to be the most prestigious, better paying ones.” (Williams; pg. 256).

The point is both men and women are struggling to make ends meet after the 2007 recession. Both men and women should feel comfortable to follow their passions in any career, despite outside pressures in an environment of increased equity and equality between the sexes.  It is encouraging that societal pressures are easing towards men entering nontraditional occupations, but we must keep in mind that simultaneously, women are struggling to earn equal wages, fighting gender-based stereotypes and attempting to meet basic economic security for themselves and their families. For whatever the reason, we may come into contact with that infamous glass ceiling or escalator they key to point out is you have a choice. You can accept your situation and be happy with looking up and not being able to touch what you see, or you can smash the glass with purpose and determination. Inevitably with our changing society, growing numbers will bridge the gender gap in many careers, but I firmly believe that equal treatment within those careers will only come with the dissolution of stereotypes about masculinity and femininity, both within ourselves and about others.

References

Aulette, J. R., & Wittner, J. G. (2015). Gendered Worlds (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Engleberg, I. N., & Wynn, D. (2013). Working in Groups: communication principles and strategies (6th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Martin, L. (1991). A Report on the Glass Ceiling Imitative. Washington, DC: Department of Labor.

Moran, R. T., Ph. D., Remington Abramson, N., Ph. D., & Moran, S. V., MA. (2011). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). London: Routledge.

Williams, C. L. (1992). The Glass Escalator: Hidden Advantages for Men in the “Female” Professions. Social Problems,39(3), 253-267.