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Glass Ceiling

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The classic saying, “Honey I’m home” has rung out through households since made popular in 40’s television shows. We all know how it goes when the husband comes home calling to his wife in the kitchen who is dressed in pearls and high heels while she cooks dinner. Their two kids are sitting at the table smiling while doing their homework. The bread-winning husband just had a fantastic day at the office and kisses his Barbie doll wife and then grabs a drink. At that time, society considered this an acceptable way of life. Not everyone lived in this fashion but it remains the hallmark description of the time period. Men were programmed to get a job and provide for his family while the wife stayed home caring for the children and making sure her husband was satisfied. From experience to television shows people embraced this environment until women began challenging these traditional values.
Today, women have traveled a long way to get where they are in the workplace. However, many of the historical customs continue and hinder women’s success. Due to these customs and competitive business environments a glass ceiling has been constructed above women in the workplace. In this thesis we will explore the cause of such discrimination from the glass ceiling from a feminist perspective starting in the 40’s up till today.
The beginning of women entering the workplace is arguably when women began challenging their roles as a housewife when there was a shortage of workers during WWII. Since, so many men were overseas women claimed their position and realized they were capable of so much more than cooking or becoming a secretary. In fact, “World War II can be usefully viewed as providing an “exogenous” shock to female labor supply. As men were mobilized to serve in the war, women increased their labor force participation markedly. In 1940, only 28% of women over age 15

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