...A critical evaluation of Women in management- the glass ceiling at the St. Lucia Fire Service Executive Summary The topic of the glass ceiling has been of great interest in recent years especially in the field of management. The problem is that women demonstrate successful qualities over years and despite the qualities that they possess, the glass ceiling still continue to exist in organizations that are male dominating and find it difficult to break into management. The purpose of this research is to identify the barriers that exists impeding women’s career progression in the fire service and to make recommendations that the St. Lucia Fire Service may implement to increase capacity in senior management level. It is important for women to be part of senior management since women currently make a proportionally larger percentage at the workplace and also because the government has established that in any form of recruitment into the fire service, women should make up twenty percent of the capacity. This research examined how the concept of the glass ceiling is unavoidable in the fire service. Two stages of data collection and analysis were carried out. By using descriptive research the status of women in the fire service will be presented. A questionnaire was developed and delivered to two hundred fire personnel. An analysis of answers from the questionnaire was analyzed to assess the opinions about the impact of females on promotions to senior management. To...
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...get notice in America for hundred of years. Many people have been paving the way for future advancement of people no matter the race, sex, or national origin. Whenever a minority has the opportunity and skills to advance in the workforce, but is not given a fair chance, this is commonly known as glass ceiling. According to the online database, Answers, glass ceiling refers to situations where the advancement of a qualified person within the hierarchy of an organization is stopped at a lower level because of some form of discrimination. This situation is in reference to the term glass ceiling because there are limitations of upward movement or advancement. The word glass comes from being transparent because the limitations are not immediately apparent and is normally an unwritten or unofficial policy. This barrier prevents large numbers of women, ethnic, and sexual minorities from obtaining and securing the most powerful, prestigious, and most gross job in the workforce (Glass Ceiling, 2007). The invisible barrier continues to exist, keeping minorities from acquiring advance job positions. The term glass ceiling is mostly put in context when it comes to women advancing. This barrier makes women believe they are uncapable of achieving these high-ranking...
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...patterns must be at work to account for the huge difference in the number of men versus women in top management positions. Although women as a whole may place less emphasis on career success than men, there are a considerable amount of women who strive for top management positions and are unable to attain them. In a recent study almost three-fourths of women and two-thirds of men believe that an invisible barrier (a glass ceiling) prevents women from attaining top management positions. In this report we have tried to find out the barriers causing women advancement in organizational top levels referred to as “Glass Ceiling.” We have conducted our research among some of the top level organizations which are United International University (UIU), MERCANTILE BANK Limited (MBL), Islamic Bank Limited (IBL), and Mutual Trust Bank Limited (MTBL). Without their support we couldn’t have completed this report. Here we have conducted research about some of the factors which correspondents have identified as the major factors. The main intention of this report was to find out the actual barriers (if there is any) causing women to stand back in line, although they are well qualified to move up in the line. Based on the responses of the participants\correspondents we have tried to put up this report. 1. Introduction In this era of globalization women are close to dominating every field of work they are in. They...
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...hence lower our profits. Suppliers are the once that provide us with the raw materials that we need to produce our product and thus giving them some power over the firm. If the raw material that the supplier sells is scarce, and no easily found, then this would enhance the power that they have over the company and could mean that they could raise their prices when they would see fit. If we were to see competitive firms competing for the resource that the supplier supplies then this would put the supplier in even greater power over those firms. In our case, Mdina Glass uses several raw materials that can be found in many destinations. The main raw material that is used is sand, but not just any sand, silica sand. Other raw materials include limestone, soda ash and other chemicals that are used to add colour to the glass. The raw materials themselves maybe unique, and equally important for the production of glass, but can be found available from a good amount of suppliers, and thus limiting the supplier's power. By assessing different suppliers online of these raw materials I have found out that most suppliers often give discounts to the company when they buy in...
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...The Glass Ceiling Effect: Women’s Career Advancement in Puerto Rico Ángela Ramos Pérez May 7, 2008 2 Index Chapter One .....................................................................................................................................3 Introduction..................................................................................................................................3 Purpose for the Study...............................................................................................................3 Limitation ................................................................................................................................6 Chapter Two ....................................................................................................................................7 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................7 Introduction..............................................................................................................................7 Glass Ceiling............................................................................................................................8 Career Advancement .............................................................................................................12 Gender Based Gap ...........................................................................................................
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...Causes There are varying reasons why the glass ceiling exists in our society. One chief reason is that leadership has stereotypical views concerning males and females in leadership positions. Males are viewed has being tough and strict, while women are considered more nurturing and caring. Being a tough or very strict leader in the workplace is accepted more by society. While a women’s leadership style, if not identical to her male counterpart, may be viewed as ineffective and soft. In some organizations the “good old boy” network is still widespread so women and minorities do not get the opportunity to advance even if they are more qualified than their competition. Unfortunately, this barrier that hinders advancement is sometimes imposed on women by their own doing. Meaning, some women choose not to work as hard as their male counterparts because they choose their families over their career. For that reason they may not work the long hours, volunteer as much, or take on extra work loads as men often do to climb the corporate ladder. There is a website that discusses an interview with Lillian Vernon, of Lillian Vernon Corporation, and it quotes her saying “many people who dream about their own businesses and don’t have one, are not prepared to work that hard—to think about their job while they’re getting dressed, showering, waiting for somebody— to think of every minute as an opportunity (Martynemko.com)”. Another woman by the name of Theresa Metty, senior VP at Motorola...
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... 3. RATIONALE 4. LITERATURE REVIEW 4. PROGRESS AND PLANS 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES 5. APPENDICES 6. The ‘Glass Ceiling’, is an unofficially acknowledged invisible barrier that hinders the advancement in a profession and prevents working women maximising their full potential. This investigation will look at the equality progression of women in the boardroom, thus gaining a practical understanding of opportunities in senior management and understanding the measures necessary to avoid gender discrimination. The term ‘glass ceiling’ originated in 1986 whereby two journalists from the Wall Street Journal described the ‘invisible and artificial barriers that impeded women from advancing to senior leadership positions in organisations’ (Alex, 2004). Since then, much research (Heilman et al., 1989; Bass and Avolio, 1994; Lyness and Thompson, 1997; Ragins et al., 1998; Tharenou, 2001; Belt, 2002) has focused on the causes of and solutions for the glass ceiling. The study aims to investigate whether and why gender discrimination is still a fundamental issue in the boardroom and what strategies corporations can adopt to help support women who struggle to dismantle the glass ceiling and overcome the subtle barriers, hindering them from advancement in their profession. Shattering the Glass Ceiling is a positive and constructive source of reference directed at women in management, or about to go into management. It aims to highlight the major...
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...Workplace: The Glass Ceiling If glass ceilings existed, they would allow people to see through to the world above them. Because glass is clear, those existing under such a ceiling might not, at first, even notice that a barrier was in place which separated them from higher levels. Yet if they tried to pass through, they would quickly learn that the ceiling prevented them from doing that. But let�s face it. Women have known about glass ceilings in the executive suite and throughout all levels of the workforce long before the Wall Street Journal highlighted the problem in March 1986. It was coined in the media to describe what happens to women when they are denied opportunity to the upper levels of executive management. Thousands of qualified women and minority men are routinely denied top level jobs in corporate America. But instead of calling it racism, sexism, or xenophobia, we call it the "glass ceiling." For people confronting these barriers, it is discrimination - plain and simple. Glass ceiling" is a term that describes the artificial plateau, beyond which women and other minorities are denied the opportunity to advance to upper levels of executive management in corporate America (Castro, 1997). It has become a routine practice to deny thousands of qualified women the top level jobs, merited by their performance. The "glass ceiling" barriers toward women are nothing but an insidious form of sex discrimination, in violation of law(Feldman, 1997). Glass ceiling barriers exist...
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...The term “Glass Ceiling” became popular when a Wall Street Journal article used it in 1986. It refers to the barrier that prevents women from stepping into the top management level in any organizations. The “Glass Ceiling” is invisible and impenetrable. Very often a woman could see her ultimate career goal was just ahead of her, but she just could not get to the top of the hierarchy. Before the term was introduced, researchers had been exploring varies theories that could explain why it was so hard for women to reach the highest level in business that was dominated by white males. One explanation could be that women might have chosen less stressful jobs in order to take care of their family members. Another explanation was that women might lack the network of crucial professional contacts that could help them advance in their careers. After the term was introduced, the society became more and more aware of the unequal career opportunities offered to white men versus all other groups of people. The situation has been changing and improving, little by little. Many researches done in the 80s and 90s of the last century suggested that women were significantly underrepresented in upper management level, and their salaries and wages were much lower than the male counterpart. According to Cai & Kleiner (1999), in a 1989 estimation by the U.S. Department of Labor, only 1 to 2 percent of senior executive management positions include women. The report issued by the Federal Glass Ceiling...
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...De’Mon Simpson Dr. Robinson April 2012 SOC/320 University of Phoenix WORKSHOP#3 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS * What is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)? What does the DHS do for United States citizens? The DHS is a cabinet department of the U.S. federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibility of protecting the U.S.A and the U.S. territories from and responds to terrorist attacks, man-made accidents, and natural diasters. The DHS works in the civilian sphere to protect the U.S. within, at, and outside its borders. Its goal is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism. * If you lived in a country outside the United States and wanted to come to the United States to work, to live, or to attend an institution of higher learning, what process would you follow? Describe a realistic or imagined scenario, and explain the legal process as outlined by the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. If you had a relative(parent, child, or spouse) that is a US citizen, then you can obtain a green card easier. As soon as you filed a petition and it is approved by the USCIS( U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). Hold on to your green card for a minimual of 5 years to become an American Citizen (3 years in case of your spouse is a US citizen). Pass the language and civics test * What do you think are the biggest concerns some people have about illegal...
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...have power and respect in today’s work force, that women are liberated. Stories of women obtaining high-level corporate jobs, easily moving up the corporate ladder, and in some respect this is true. However, if interviewed what would these women say in regards to the trials and errors of getting into these corporate positions? Was it an easy road, did they run into barriers, were their colleagues receptive to their advancement? Unfortunately, most women today will tell of hardships, barriers and stigmas that have tried to stop their advancements in the work place. The “Glass Ceiling” is a real thing for women, a simple barrier that is used to stop a woman’s advancement to a higher position in a company not based on the inability to do the job in question but just because she is in fact a “Woman”. Feminist came up with the term “glass ceiling” in reference to this barrier concerning the careers of women. In the Far East they have a similar term called the “Bamboo Ceiling”. Barriers against women are worldwide, it does not discriminate, and this reference is for all women and women alike. In...
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...Iranian Journal of Management Studies (IJMS) Vol.6, No.1, January 2013 pp: 77-97 Glass Ceiling and Women Career Advancement: Evidence from Nigerian Construction Industry Obamiro John Kolade1*, Obasan Kehinde2 1. Department of Business Studies,Covenant University, Ota,Ogun State, Nigeria 2. Department of Business Administration,Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye Ogun State, Nigeria (Received: 9 December 2011; Revised: 19 February 2012; Accepted: 26 February 2012) Abstract Despite the fact that women possess the required knowledge, skills, competencies, training and experiences to perform effectively and efficiently in construction industry, they experience entry and career advancement barriers. This research examines the effects of glass ceiling syndrome on women career advancement in construction industry. Data were obtained through structured questionnaire distributed to workers of selected construction companies. The findings reveal that some of the barriers mentioned in the literature against women career advancement in construction are prevalent in Nigeria, except the existence of equality in respect of male and female in terms of employment and career development opportunity. Also, low women participation in Nigerian construction industry begins in choosing course, education and continues throughout recruitment process. The aim is to encourage women's participation in construction industry and employers to tackle the industry‟s environmental issues by introducing flexible...
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...Is there still an invisible barrier for women in the working world? It might come as a surprise that in the year 2017, women in Ohio only made 77 percent of what the average Ohio man makes in one year (Webb). There is so much limitation for women striving to reach the top in any business today. Even in recent years, after some progress regarding women’s advancements in corporate settings has been made, it is found that only one tenth of the senior roles in companies are filled by women. The idea of the glass ceiling started in the 1980’s, when the phrase was used in multiple different books to describe an invisible barrier imposed on people because of race, gender, or any other “limiting” factors that may socially inhibit one from reaching their goal (Lewis). This is a socially constructed limit on these people, and is very prominent in corporate environments. When the Americans were asked if most people thought that barrier has been broken, 86 percent thought that the glass ceiling has not yet been broken, if even cracked (Lewis). Women’s salary, rank, and reputation in the workforce has consistently changed over the years. Fair treatment at the office has been a constant struggle for women in today’s society. Breaking...
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...Breaking thru the Glass Ceiling GEB 452 Organizational Ethics Introduction For too many women, discrimination still plays a role in the jobs they get, the wages they are paid, and the promotions they receive. The base of this paper is on the ‘glass ceiling’ metaphor, which is the invisible barriers women experience in their rising career, which prevents them from reaching the top of an organization or making it difficult to get there. Even though we have come a long way from how it was fifty years ago it’s undeniable that women still today are not accepted as an equal. Most women seem under-represented in upper management levels in many companies and getting paid less for the same work done by men. This paper will examine some of the obstacles that women have to face during their climb on the corporate ladder and once they arrive. I will also discuss how the gender discrimination has improved thru the years and explain what women are doing to try to break thru the glass ceiling. The Glass Ceiling Women have come a long way during the past century. They have flown alone across the Atlantic Ocean, they have been given the right to vote, they have gone in a rocket into space and they have even been elected to Congress. Even though all they hold all these achievements, women are still facing barriers and gender discrimination in the workplace. It has been shown that even if a woman has received the proper education and credentials, they are often not considered for the...
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...Glass Ceiling The glass ceiling is encountered by women in the workforce every day. Women face a barrier separating them from advancing in the work place and gaining equal pay as men. “Yellen punches through 'glass ceiling' at Fed,” describes the monumental advance and breakthrough of the glass ceiling for Janet Yellen, now the first woman to ever lead the Federal Reserve. She has made great strides throughout her life, “Yellen served as president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank. She also had served a stint on the Fed's board in the 1990s and was a top economic adviser to President Bill Clinton”(Ferraro). She is working to show other woman that it is possible to climb to the top. The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier that separates women and minorities from advancing into top management positions(Kinicki 32). It is a serious issue in the work force because there needs to be diversity and fairness for all employees. Women are often deterred from trying to obtain top-management positions in fear that they will be denied for not being male. Yellen stated that “I don't feel that I've faced discrimination. I've had every chance to succeed and more, and I think that's what all women should have." She is lucky to have every opportunity arise in her life and has been able to push forward through the glass ceiling for herself. She is the proof to all other women that is it possible and that they cannot give up in fear of being discriminated against. Women deserve the same...
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