The buzzword `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, most commonly, sexism or racism. The glass-ceiling
is usually seen as relevant to women being recruited into senior
management and executive levels. Studies have, however, shown that
many factors operate to affect career progression at much earlier stages
in women's working lives. The experience of many women is that the
satisfaction of breaking through a glass-ceiling rings hollow,
when they confront another more entrenched ceiling in place, at
the next level. So, the first thing professional women need to be
aware of, is glass-ceiling at every stage of their career development.
Living in a borderless world, where organizations operate at a
global level, a lot of scope exists for career development. Many corporates
believe that these glass-ceilings are myths and self-created. They
argue that women would have to barge their way out of this
self-imposed barrier. The first argument is that women
can hold higher positions based on their talents, through
hard work and aspirations. The second argument talks about work
challenges and family responsibilities that get in the way of women's
career development. Many women discover that family is more
important to them as they climb the corporate ladder and hence quit playing
senior roles in the management. However, some ambitious women are
in a career race backed by family support, by sharing the
family burden equally with their partner. The glass-ceiling no longer applies
to many workplaces for most women. In reality also there is not as
much as a barrier stopping women from progressing to the top as they
seem to think. Though the change is slow, it is underway. |
