The glass ceiling is an unacknowledged discriminatory barrier that prevents women from rising to positions of power or responsibility, within a corporation. This obstacle is faced by thousands of women trying to fulfill their career goals and objectives. The following article will explore how the glass ceiling works, who it affects and what can be done to minimize this problem. Women account for 43% of the total Australian Workforce, yet an estimated 5% of the directors of Australia’s 500 largest companies are women. From our 50 biggest listed companies only 2 have female chief executives.
This gender imbalance is not an indication of the ability or professionalism of women, but is a testimony to the power, influence and prejudice of men (Jory, 2003:1).
Men have always detained the most senior ranking positions in Australia, and there’s still a big factor of the old boys club in the corporate world. All of these factors contribute to the shatter proof glass that for so long has confined women to the lower ranks of the corporate world. As mentioned the issue of the Glass Ceiling is due not to the capability or aptitude of women, but one reason that is repeatedly knowledge lack of there experience.
Recently there have been calls for women to increase their line experience. This is yet another attempt to explain the glass ceiling, it is suggested the prerequisite was just another form of discrimination against women, because most male directors been chief executives. “Only about 35% of men currently on boards have CEO experience. What do the remaining 65% have? When will the excuses end? ” (Heilemann, 2003:1).
The Essay on Breaking The Glass Ceiling
... there are some companies where women are shattering the glass ceiling. The lack of adequate education, training and experience in the past, to some ... their careers by family. The biggest obstacle women face is also the most intangible, men at the top feel uncomfortable beside them. ... ones determined by their sex. Unfortunately, we are miles behind men in the workforce, but we are trying to catch up, ...
Therefore, there is no merit in this explanation of the glass ceiling. One of the difficulties facing women is attributed to taking time out to have and raise children.
After raising children women find it difficult to re – enter the work force and to be promoted. Women for some reason find it easier to progress through the ranks when they were young and unattached. Statistics indicate that women who wanted to work part-time hours once they returned to the workforce were often prepared to take on different roles with less responsibility. Women also have difficulties in being promoted in cultural and recreational services or the finance and insurance industry while woman orking in large organizations were promoted more often than those in other organizations. There are many women who have taken on the challenge and have shattered the glass ceiling. Margaret Jackson has become a household name across Australia. She is the current Qantas chairperson, a director of Billabong International, ANZ banking Group and John Fairfax Holdings Ltd. It wasn’t an easy road, after graduating with a Bachelor of Economics she was employed by Price Waterhouse after being rejected several times from other accounting firms, who would simply not employ women.
Gai Waterhouse, the first lady of Australian racing, had a well documented two year battle with the Australian Jockey Club for her trainers license in 1992 after spending 12 years working full time alongside her father. Her license was finally granted, and she was the first woman to receive her trainers license. Behind the polished public image is a hard headed business woman. Katie Page is one of the best retailers in Australia. In 1999 she was appointed as the chief executive of the Harvey Norman Empire.
The Essay on Glass Ceiling Summary
ter> Utilitarianism favors unequal treatment in the work place. CONTROLLING IDEA: Big corporations should be forced into applying affirmative action to equal out the male/female ratio in management positions. MAJOR PART 1: We believe that big corporations should be forced into breaking the glass ceiling. Women are represented in the workplace by a mere margin of all management positions. We ...
She also developed the Domayne chain of up market furniture and home furnishings, as a way of creating growth for Harvey Norman. These woman are just 3 of the very few than have made it, to become powerful leaders. They all have one thing in common, dedication and self confidence. One point emphasized is that they insist on being called chairpersons or chairmen and believe they are equal with their fellow associates. This mindset that these women have demonstrated has, in their opinion, taken them to where they are today, the top of their fields.
There are a number of strategies that are being introduced, which are helping women break through the elusive glass ceiling. Many of these strategies take the form of task forces set up by women. Most recently a new taskforce established by the government to get more women into the boardrooms of Australian public companies. The taskforce is examining a new lobby for mandatory quotas for women to be on the boards of public companies and will also seek to increase woman’s participation in business leadership.
The glass ceiling does exist and has so for decades. A changing workforce, pressure on double income families to meet mortgage and other financial commitments will continue to put pressure on woman climbing the corporate ladder. Worldwide several task forces have been established to address the issue of women running corporates. Whilst there has been inroads made there is no clear answer to why more women are not on boards or running major companies throughout the world.
