Introduction
To understand the glass ceiling phenomenon, one must recognize the reasons for its existence. Historically, societal beliefs have held women to roles that were not based on their capabilities. Early societies placed women in the home, a social role defined by different norms and expectations from those set on men. Today, women enter the same job fields as men but often face barriers that hold them back from reaching their full potential. The glass ceiling refers to this invisible barrier that keeps women from advancing their careers and reaching their full potential (Marcus 4). The reasons why the glass ceiling exists today are due to a variety of societal obstacles that prevent women from reaching the top of their field. The significant societal barriers that keep women from achieving the highest levels of their careers include, but are not limited to, organizational barriers (structural obstacles), societal barriers (cultural cues), and Personal barriers (ambition gap, skepticism, and glass walls).
Discussion
Societal barriers generally refer to how the culture at work perceives women (and men) as a particular gender. A few examples of the most common institutional mindsets include: the workplace is a man’s world (Damaske 6). This mindset can be reinforced by multiple sources, including a history of patriarchal or even matriarchal roles assigned to both genders in the work environment. Gender stereotypes and unconscious bias in traditional male-dominated cultures create the conditions for male sexual dominance. Men are seen as rational and intelligent, while women are seen as emotional and irrational. Therefore, when women are exposed to more traditional male-dominated jobs and work environments, their ability to excel in those roles is limited.
Structural obstacles refer to the factors that make it more difficult to achieve specific goals for women within an organization. Lack of adequate resources, lack of role models, and inadequate sponsorship and mentorship can make it difficult to progress and achieve equality in work (Damaske 13). The lack of women in high-level positions prevents women from valuable networking opportunities with influential executives, gaining recognition and status within the scientific community, or cultivating sponsor relationships (Marcus 74). In addition, the unequal representation of women in some occupations and industries can result in the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles and high attrition from high-power positions.
Lastly, personal barriers are obstacles that women themselves create. These include internal barriers (such as the ambition gap, high self-doubt, and glass walls) and external barriers (family, work, and friends). While women have made tremendous progress in breaking gender barriers, many still face balancing family and career issues (Damaske 9). Family choices women make around the development of their careers can affect the advancement of their careers. Women often compromise to balance jobs and families.
Conclusion
Since women tend to encounter more barriers in their career growth than men, efforts to reduce these barriers must be prioritized. For example, organizations are responsible for creating a diverse workplace to overcome the limitations of women reaching the highest level in their careers. A diverse workplace is where people with different backgrounds and values come together to create opportunities for success. Other critical interventions to de-bias the system would be prioritizing flexibility and integrating programs that support women’s career progression by targeting a diversity of needs, such as training and coaching for women who want to advance, as well as those already in management (Marcus 56). Flexible work arrangements, such as flextime and telecommuting, foster work-life balance, a necessity for women with family demands.
Works Cited
Damaske, Sarah. For the Family?: How Class and Gender Shape Women’s Work. Oxford University Press, 2011, pp. 3–41.
Marcus, Bonnie. The Politics of Promotion: How High-Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead. John Wiley & Sons, 2015, pp 1–75.