Ethical Analysis of the Glass Ceiling

For thousands of years gender roles have been determined in cultures across the world. Although times have changed the role of woman has remained mostly unchanged with the passage of time. Throughout history women have always served to support men and have never been in a position to lead or take command. It was not until within the past century women began to fight for equality to their male counterparts.

America currently seems unready to be led by a woman of non-dynastic origin. Like ancient Egyptian society, men and women in contemporary America are legal equals, but this equality has not yet really filtered into the uppermost level of power.

For centuries the concept of gender and equality have been issues and talking points. Attitudes toward women have gradually softened and changed for the better as they are viewed as being equal with men. Women throughout history have been referred to as housewives, and factory girls. They weren’t able to gain the respect from men until they took a stance against inequality, also known as women’s suffrage. “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand”, stated Susan B Anthony. Many factors have contributed to the rise of the status of women throughout the history of the United States. These factors include education, income status, and political contributions.

During the early history in America women were deprived of some of the many rights given to the male citizens. It has almost been a century since women were awarded the right to vote in the United States. It’s been half a century after the Equal Pay Act was established. “The Equal Pay act led to a reduction in the wage gap, but wage differences based on sex persist” (Korgen & Giraffe, 2015). Sadly, there is still a lot of prejudice towards women in the workplace. Bigotry towards women in the workplace has been dominant through the years. Many perceive women as being weak and not able to effectively provide their leadership duties in their workplaces due to their emotions (weaker sex). Positions in leadership are often given

The major barriers to breaking the glass ceiling were outlined in the final recommendations of the Glass Ceiling Commissions report (March, 1995). These barriers were described as follows: “internal structural”; “social and difference” and “governmental”. Within each of these three identified barriers are multiple interconnected ideals and views which make the process of breaking through the glass ceiling a difficult process, but one that is not impossible (Glass Ceiling Commission, November 1995).The social and difference barrier is one of the most difficult barriers for women to break in order to push through the glass ceiling. Societies firmly held ideals and beliefs are not easily changed despite the view that women are today more vocal,

To illustrate how Glass Ceilings are created, consider the following: Circa 1992 – Woman, mid thirties, recent graduate from prestigious Business school with a BS in Accounting, attends a mandatory job fair and interviews with a university placement counselor. This recent graduate has an impressive resume, which lists her outstanding academic achievements. It is clear to the interviewer the graduate’s ability to multi-task while raising a family, working part-time and managing classes. Most of the attendees at the job fair are male, mid-twenties, aggressive and with similar academic achievements. The advice from the placement counselor was honest and straightforward, so he thought. The counselor stated to the graduate, “Thirty something married women with families will rarely progress as a manager in a large company. Most women in this category are placed in small to mid size companies as a Staff Accountant, Full Charge Bookkeeper or possibly mid-level management in a Human Resources Department with limited advancement.”

Women, throughout the history of western civilization, have struggled to fight for their rights as equal citizens. The problem of gender inequality has been prevalent for centuries. The movement for equal opportunity has gained traction in different eras but is still far from complete. Today, we are faced with an America that has made a choice. It has made a choice for division, for stagnancy and for retrogression. Women have been subtly told that their value does not rest in politics, nor in business, but after the results of the 2016 election cycle that subtly is gone. Today, America is different from what it was yesterday. The underlying notes of sexism are no longer hidden. A society that was once seen as progressive and accepting, has now taken a significant reversal in this fight. America has told its women to be smaller, be quieter, and to not overshadow their male counterparts. How did American culture fail women so thoroughly? How did the western world progress without the progression of women 's rights?

In the documentary Miss Representation, the producers interviewed many powerful women such as Rachel Maddow, Condoleezza Rice, Rosario Dawson, etc. to talk about the oppression of women in American society. This film opened the eyes of many Americans because a lot of Americans never noticed the inequalities that women experience daily. Women in our society are subject to body shaming, hyperfemininity, and discrimination in politics and leadership positions, for simply being a women. In order for society to move towards a more positive future, we must accept women intellectuals just as much as we praise a woman's body.

Gender politics have for the longest time acted in favor of the male gender as opposed to the female gender. Despite, the U.S being a dominant political power, women in leadership have experienced great struggles to ensure that they are equitably represented. However, besides America being a democratic nation, America women still faces many hurdles in the political arena while very few have been able to rise to the highest executive offices. While some countries have had female presidents, U.S has never had a female president with Hillary Clinton coming close in 2016. However, Hillary took a hit from the Electoral College who chose a minority president in Donald Trump despite Hillary garnering the popular majority votes. This begs the question

Glass ceiling is defined as an intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level position (Merriam-Webster online, n.d.). The barriers range from interpersonal and intrapersonal factors such as discrimination against women applicants, stereotype against women, sexual harassment, assumed household responsibilities, and the ‘old boys club’. ‘Old boys club’ is a term for male-only activities such as high-priced golf course, sporting events, and private fraternities where the members socialize and exchange information that is sometimes crucial for job advancement (Lang, 2011). These barriers put women at disadvantage in a lot of ways. Women are not only perceived as less qualified but are also hindered from receiving information and opportunity to improve their work performance. These barriers are deeply rooted in the organizational culture that it sometimes not be seen as a problem by

For my research question I will be asking: “How is America making progress on gender equity?” Fundamentally, I believe that women are still misrepresented, and are still facing many challenges in the workplace, especially in the business world. The gender stereotypes play a considerable role in the way the society sees women as leaders. However, it will be judicious to consider the small but noticeable changes that have been made over the past years concerning gender equality in the American workplace.

The glass ceiling is responsible for women and minorities not being able to achieve what they are capable of. A glass ceiling is an invisible barrier. For many of the years, women were not put in jobs that require top executives such as management and that is why many of them have not accumulated the

(Cotter, 1984: 655) defines his theory as "an unofficial or unacknowledged barrier within an organisation’s hierarchy that prevents personal advancement, especially for women". The term ‘Glass Ceiling’ was popularised in the 1980’s and became an important concept in the workplace. The term evolved to include all minorities, with the word “ceiling” describing a barrier that women experience as they try to advance within a

First off, the term ‘glass ceiling’ was created in the late 1900’s and is used to describe the situation in which workingwomen hit a dead end in their careers and have no room to grow upward into higher management positions. The term ‘glass ceiling’ was coined to represent a barrier that makes it difficult for women and minorities to climb up the organizational ladder. The ‘glass’ refers to the transparency of this barrier; this barrier is not necessarily visible to the

As we approach the millennium, the overall framework of the workforce has been steadily flourishing. In this era, several individuals would like to think that the promotional and also hiring processes in the workplace have become fair and also impartial. However, there still exist several impediments for few individuals. The glass ceiling is a subtle framework that most organizations and employers have utilized in legally discriminating particular groups of people. Although this action is not apparently several women and also minorities have encountered challenges in advancing to higher positions in their careers due to the concept of the glass ceiling (Horn, and Schaffner, 2003).