Introduction
The term glass ceiling is often used to refer to the situation where the progress of deserving people is hindered by discrimination. Under this connotation, it is perceived that certain sections of society fail to achieve success due to reasons other than their qualification. As a result, the glass ceiling refers to any kind of discrimination of minorities and gender that results in difficulty in attaining opportunities for advancement. Concerning gender, the term normally applies to the objects that hinder the advancement of women in career. However certain sectors have been exceptional in offering opportunities for women at the expense of men. This paper aims to examine how the healthcare sector has been ahead in offering opportunities to women and other minorities.
Opportunities for Women and Minorities
The healthcare sector has been consistent in offering career opportunities to women and other minorities. As a result, the industry has been forefront in promoting the ideals of minorities and women as far as professional opportunities are concerned. However, the sector is not that committed to the emancipation and elevation of the vulnerable. The reason why the healthcare sector seems committed to such ideals is because of the unique needs and nature of the sector. This makes it to prefer the services of women than men (Simon & Palmer, p. 43). First and foremost it must be understood that the sector deals with hospitality. Hospitality requires certain special characteristics to be effective. Some of these attributes include tenderness, compassion, sympathy, and empathy. This is because healthcare deals with the handling of the needs of people. In other words, the industry specializes in serving people and addressing their needs. This makes it necessary to employ people who have qualities that go along with the roles involved in the profession. The majority of these qualities can easily be found in women. By nature, women have the qualities of tenderness and servitude. This makes them more marketable in the sector as compared to the rest.
Apart from women, the healthcare sector has a lot of opportunities for minorities. It is the healthcare sector that offers more opportunities for advancement for all forms of minorities. There are several reasons behind the sauces for the availability of opportunities in the healthcare industry for minorities. Healthcare is such a field where practical tasks are given more focus than the origin and background of the workers. Under normal circumstances, the background and track record of an employee is given a lot of attention during the time of employment as well as in the course of the work (Van Velsor et al, p. 200). This is normally the overriding factor in most sectors as far as career opportunity and advancement are concerned. As a result, most opportunities for career advancement are pegged on conventional factors like religion, gender, background among others. However, this is not the case in the healthcare sector. This is because the job profile and tasks involved have little relevance on factors such as background, religion, sex, and race. As a result, the focus tends to be more on the actual requirements of the tasks. This henceforth provides an equal opportunity for various people to compete on equal footing. This has made healthcare to be an avenue of equality where minorities and women get opportunities not only to work but also to advance professionally.
There are a lot of factors that make it possible for people to advance in the healthcare sector. The industry provides equal opportunities for advancement due to the nature of the tasks and obligations involved in the work (Fredericks & Deemer, p. 123). A career in the healthcare industry involves having a proper understanding of the needs of people and also having people-handling skills. As a result, the sector has little attention for the background and stereotype connotations of society. Another key factor is the unique structure of the healthcare sector.
This lays more focus on the availability of an enabling environment for the sake of the tasks involved. Due to the nature of the roles and obligations involved in the sector a lot of efforts are made to ensure that there is harmony in the carrying out of the tasks of the sector.
To maintain the order and atmosphere that is necessary for the treatment and handling of patients, the healthcare sector encourages equal regard and respect for all the people involved in its operations. This goes a long way in ensuring that all those in the sector feel empowered and as a result perform to their best. The healthcare sector consequently rewards merit and achievement; this makes sure that all those who perform exceptionally advance irrespective of their background.
Conclusion
The healthcare sector has been exceptional in offering opportunities for career and advancement for women and minorities. This has been brought about by a variety of factors. One of the main factors has been the unique nature of the healthcare industry. The sector has special requirements and needs that make it an avenue where equality and opportunity advancement. The paper has focused on the glass ceiling. Special reference has been given to the healthcare sector and the reasons behind the many opportunities it offers to women and other minorities for advancement. The paper started by defining the glass ceiling and its relevance to the concept being discussed. Several factors that are behind the increasing opportunities in the healthcare sector have also been discussed.
Works Cited
- Fredericks, Nancy & Deemer, Candy. Dancing on the glass ceiling: tap into your true strengths, activate your vision, and get what you really want out of your career. Washington: McGraw Hill Professional, 2003.
- Simon, Dennis & Palmer, Barbara. Breaking the political glass ceiling: women and congressional elections. New York: Routledge, 2008.
- Van, Vensor et al. Breaking the glass ceiling: can women reach the top of America’s largest corporations? Washington: PERSEUS BOOKS, 1994.