ZeePedia

GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT (2):Glass-Ceiling Effect

<< GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT:Informal Work
GENDER, WORK & RELATED ISSUES:Sexual Harassment at Workplace >>
img
Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
Lesson 27
GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT (2)
Recap:
_ The concept of work and empowerment
_ Five case studies
_ Problems faced by women pertaining to economic empowerment
Gender, Work and Women's Empowerment
Women's empowerment, economic, requires a career or a formal occupation. A formal occupation requires
education, training and skill. But considering women's empowerment or career development, one comes across
a number of hurdles:
No education:
In many parts of the world the girl child is denied the right to education, either due to societal attitudes,
stereotypical beliefs, or inaccessibility of educational facility.
Faulty or non-career oriented education:
In many cases females do have a right and access to education, but the very nature of education imparted to
them does not lead them to a career path.
1.  Glass-Ceiling Effect:
2.  Multiple/ Dual Roles:
Women, even when sharing all responsibilities of life with men, have to look after all the household affairs too.
3.  Harassment
4.  Violence against women
The first two issues have been discussed in detail in the section on gender and education. In this section the
Glass-Ceiling effect and Dual/multiple roles will be discussed. The last two will be discussed later on.
Glass-Ceiling Effect
How will you feel in a situation like this?
`You are standing in the atrium of beautiful tall building; your favorite person whom you have not seen in the
last years is standing on the roof of the floor above yours. You want to reach him at once in a jump, but you
can't jump or even use a ladder to reach there because there is a glass ceiling between you two. All other ways
ad passages to that destination are locked or blocked. You can see that person, you have the faith that if give a
chance you can be there in a plunge; BUT you are unable to do so because the people in control have set up
things in such a manner that it is impossible for you to reach where you wanted to reach'.
How will you feel?? Dishearted? Frustrated? Depressed? Angry? Helpless? or may be Trapped?? This is what
most highly talented, capable, qualified and experienced female executives or professionals feel....... The glass-
ceiling effect.
Glass-ceiling refers to "the invisible barriers arising from a complex set of structures in male-dominated
organizations which prevents women from obtaining top positions in management and administration" (ILO,
Geneva, 2003).
"This phenomenon prevails almost every where despite women's increased level of qualification and work
performance. It has been demonstrated by research and statistics and is, at least partly, a result of persistent
discrimination against women at work" (ILO, 2003).
Glass-ceiling is different form the typical form of discrimination. It is not an open, concrete, stated barrier to
women's access to higher status in an organization; it is an invisible, unsaid, and subtle barrier. The route to
promotion, and pre-requisites for higher positions, one designed in such a manner that they favor men and
proves to be hurdles for women. This state of affairs makes it difficult, if not impossible, for women to reach
top positions in the management or administration.
Factors responsible for Glass Ceiling
Available research findings and statistics have shown that a number of socio economic variables cause the
glass-ceiling (ILO, 2003).
Persistent discrimination against women at work
74
img
Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
"The nature of women's typical career paths blocks their progress to top positions. Women are primarily
placed in non-strategic sectors and personal and administrative positions rather than in posts leading to the
top" (ILO, 2003).
"Women have less access to training and are cut off from formal and informal networks that are essential for
advancement within enterprises" (ILO, 2003).
"Women workers still tend more than men, to bear the main burden of family responsibilities, as well as paid
and unpaid work; this double burden hampers their upward movement" (ILO, 2003).
Consequences of Glass-Ceiling
1: Felt incapacity and inferiority
2: Frustration and helplessness
3: A sense of injustice
4: Job dissatisfaction
5: Strengthened gender stereotypical beliefs
Strategies for breaking through the Glass-ceiling
A number of practical steps can be adopted for facilitating women's access to top management positions.
ILO (2004; 2003) documents state strategies for promoting women to eliminate sex discrimination;
_
"Improving legal frameworks to eliminate sex discrimination;
_
Enhancing awareness of obligations and rights, including or gender equality;
_
Affirmative action, mentoring and monitoring for women;
_
More flexible and reduced working hours, as well as adequate childcare and elder-care facilities, to
enable both parents to better combine family and career;
_ Better access of women to a business skills training and entrepreneurship development to help them
run their own business;
_ Improving women's access to training, in particular in technical and management fields;
_ Reviewing human resource development practice to recognize the potential value of non-conventional
career paths and to facilitate women's access to managerial positions;
75
Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION:Common misconception, Some questions to ponder
  2. FEMINIST MOVEMENT:Forms or Varieties of Feminism, First wave feminists
  3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:Functionalism, Psychoanalytic Psychology:
  4. Gender- related Research:Andocentricity, Overgeneralizing, Gender Blindness
  5. RESEARCH METHODS FOR GENDER ISSUES:The Procedure of Content Analysis
  6. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:Limitations Of Quantitative Research
  7. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERSHormones and Chromosomes
  8. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERS: HORMONES AND NERVOUS SYSTEM
  9. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT:The Biological Approach,
  10. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (2):The Behavioral Approach
  11. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (3):The Cognitive Approach
  12. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (3):Psychoanalytic Feminism
  13. OTHER APPROACHES:The Humanistic Approach, Cultural Influences
  14. GENDER TYPING AND STEREOTYPING:Development of sex-typing
  15. GENDER STEREOTYPES:Some commonly held Gender Stereotypes
  16. Developmental Stages of Gender Stereotypes:Psychoanalytic Approach, Hostile sexism
  17. CULTURAL INFLUENCE & GENDER ROLES:Arapesh, Mundugumor
  18. DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER ROLE IDENTIFICATION:Gender Role Preference
  19. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY:GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BULLYING
  20. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY:GENDER, AFFILIATION AND FRIENDSHIP
  21. COGNITIVE DIFFERENCES:Gender Differences in I.Q, Gender and Verbal Ability
  22. GENDER AND MEDIA:Print Media and Portrayal of Genders
  23. GENDER AND EMOTION:The components of Emotions
  24. GENDER, EMOTION, & MOTIVATION:Affiliation, Love, Jealousy
  25. GENDER AND EDUCATION:Impact of Educational Deprivation
  26. GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT:Informal Work
  27. GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT (2):Glass-Ceiling Effect
  28. GENDER, WORK & RELATED ISSUES:Sexual Harassment at Workplace
  29. GENDER AND VIOLENCE:Domestic Violence, Patriarchal terrorism
  30. GENDER AND HEALTH:The Significance of Women’s Health
  31. GENDER, HEALTH, AND AGING:Genetic Protection, Behavioral Factors
  32. GENDER, HEALTH, AND AGING:Physiological /Biological Effects, Changes in Appearance
  33. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN AGING:Marriage and Loneliness, Empty Nest Syndrome
  34. GENDER AND HEALTH PROMOTING BEHAVIORS:Fitness and Exercise
  35. GENDER AND HEALTH PROMOTING BEHAVIOR:The Classic Alameda County Study
  36. GENDER AND HEART DISEASE:Angina Pectoris, The Risk factors in CHD
  37. GENDER AND CANCER:The Trend of Mortality Rates from Cancer
  38. GENDER AND HIV/AIDS:Symptoms of AIDS, Mode of Transmission
  39. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FEMALES’ REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
  40. OBESITY AND WEIGHT CONTROL:Consequences of Obesity, Eating Disorders
  41. GENDER AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:Gender, Stress and Coping
  42. GENDER AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:The Diagnostic Criteria
  43. GENDER AND PSYCHOTHERAPY:Traditional Versus Feminist Theory
  44. FEMINIST THERAPY:Changes targeted at societal level
  45. COURSE REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF NEW AVENUES FOR RESEARCH IN GENDER ISSUES