Exploring Women 's Career Advancement

Over the past few decades, great strides have been made by women in the workplace. This increased number in women in the workplace does not mean equality however. Even with equal qualifications and achievements, women are still not given all the opportunities that men have. The chapter in the textbook, “Gender at Work”, shows us more of these inequalities in the workplace. Such inequalities cause gender segregation of jobs and can be linked with the pay inequality in the labor force. Even in jobs that are predominantly filled by women, men earn more than women. Women are often stereotyped as being family focused and not as able to travel, therefore they tend to get passed up for promotions (Garson p.353). This invisible barrier that keeps women from moving up the executive ladder is referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Baxter and Wright p. 346). Women also tend to do more domestic work, or unpaid labor and caregiving. This extra unpaid work is referred to as “the third shift” and is largely rested on the shoulders of women (Gersel p. 352). Consequently, this seems to be one of the biggest things holding women back from taking on jobs that are normally considered male

According to Metz (2011), women are being deprived of opportunities and being squeezed out of organisations due to preconceptions about their dedication to a long term role, based on outdated gender stereotypes. In general, women experience higher rates of harassment at work, compared to men(McLaughlin, Uggen and Blackstone 2012).

This case study involves Deborah Westman and her work at the Bank of Montreal (BMO) as a junior employee. Deborah has aspirations of progressing within the bank to higher levels of leadership, but is concerned about possible barriers due to her gender that have prevented other women from advancing. The bank is actively seeking to provide better opportunities for women to attain key leadership positions through the use of a task force and new policies. Deborah is uncertain if she can take advantage of the increased awareness of women in the bank, and if the barriers to higher leadership will actually be removed. Possible strategies will be recommended for Deborah in order to assist in her career.

Culture - What are the forces that lead to a male dominated culture in this organisation? What does the term 'male-dominated culture' really mean? What does cultural fit connote in this organisation? Does the concept of cultural fit perpetuate homogeneity and with it exclusion of women? In other words the existing culture in many traditional organisations perpetuates the view that only men are in a position and have the time and lifestyle to accommodate the work requirement of the organisation. This is the continuation of a historical model that was created at a time when women didn’t work outside the home and had very little rights even as citizens.

Women are burdened with many obstacles to achieve equality in the work place. In the corporate and

This myth has been perpetuated throughout history and in result; we have barriers such as the glass ceiling in existence. If we were to pull up a list of the Board of Directors for any given company, the probability of it being a predominately male group is high. This notion alone shows how companies have continued to dwell in olds days where men are considered more capable than women. The Glass ceiling effect has continued to place barriers against women endeavor in achieving success in their careers and participation in their work place. Women have not been able to realize their potential in their work places since they are not offered equal chances as compared to their men counterparts who enjoy great opportunities in organizations. The fact that an organization is ran by men, may cause an adverse effect on the performance of men. Obviously, a man thinks differently than a woman. It is likely that a decision made by men only is likely to ignore the interests of women in the organization. This creates a domino effect because it affects the woman’s performance in business since they only get limited chances to learn, and limited job assignments that will enhance their skills. Hence, low or limited skills and experience will lower their overall

"Women's advancement often stops short of the general management level" as a partial result of discrimination by white men in positions of power, which include the differences of developmental job assignments they are afforded (Ohlott 46). "Developmental job assignments have been found to be one of the most important factors in preparing both men and women for upper-level management positions" (Ohlott 46 - 47).If women do not experience these same job assignments, they may be less prepared than men for handling future upper-level management jobs. These types of job assignments lead to high-level positions, make managers more visible, and prepare them for future jobs. With men being in the top ranks of organizations in most cases, they are less likely to assign these challenging tasks to female subordinates (Ohlott 49). "Organizations more often move women into staff positions and out of functions central to a business" mainly because those making the staffing decisions are more interested in advancing their own careers (Ohlott 49).

Women are more likely to choose job environments where they can work with people and help others (“Opting Out” or “Pushed Out” …). The article also mentions that women are more prone to give up job opportunities that lack communication with other people. Finally, because of this motivation in people-oriented careers, the study mentions that women are overrepresented in jobs like HR and are therefore less likely to advance their position.

Gender plays a huge role in workplace 'success' and can be a big challenge especially if the employee is a woman in a male dominated workplace or career. No matter how 'hard-nosed,' 'ruthless,' 'workaholic' a woman may be, or how much personal success she achieves, there will always tend to be some type of obstacle to keep her from getting completely to the top of the corporate ladder. She must also still fight stereotypes that undermines her confidence or limits her potential. Since the early 20th century, women and minorities have sought equal opportunities in education and in the labor force with little success. These obstacles or barriers are all known as the glass ceiling.

Thank you for sharing such an excellent post and drawing attention to such a profound and systemic issue in our global culture. Researcher Daniel Levinson in A Conception of Adult Development addresses the issue of the role of gender in adult life development. Levinson and his colleagues believed that women go through the same developmental periods as men, although some of the specific issues might differ between men and women. Based on the study, “the small proportion of women at senior management levels suggests that many women do not move beyond jobs in lower and middle levels of management” (Greenhaus, Callanan and Godshalk 323), indicating the reality of a proverbial glass ceiling.

There are so many different factors that go into the equation of what makes a good employee and a person's sex shouldn't be one of those. There are women who have managed to battle their way into the upper ranks and who have likely worked much of this out for themselves (Bellstrom, Kristen and Zarya 24). This shows us that women are determined to make something of themselves and that they will rise above any stereotypes or discrimination to make the workplace more diverse and equal for all. Robinson was asked how women effect the workplace. “Women definitely bring more diversity to business and a great amount of knowledge coming from a different viewpoint. They also bring a different emotional side to business which I think can be a good thing.” Are female customers more difficult to work with than male customers? “Typically no, not in this business. This is not a retail business. I would say that men ask more questions than women as far as accounting goes. I think this is because typically in the family dynamics of things, men usually handle the financial aspects of things.” said Robinson. In 1974, only four percent of all MBA graduates nationwide were women. In 1994 thirty six percent of the ranks of graduating MBAs were women (Haddock 24). Showing that women are hiking their way up to the top. That number has more than increased since then. Gender diversity in corporate businesses and top management groups has received growing attention from academics, investors, interest groups and professional research firms. Diversity is supposed to be a sensible approach to improve board effectiveness and performance (Labelle et al 1). In recent years, the issue of appointing more women as directors has also captured the attention of policymakers and research on gender diversity in the business establishment. The slow pace at which business is integrating gender diversity has started to get government involved (Labelle

This article is connected to my sociological problem in that it shows that after an extensive research conducted on 240 (male and female) employees with high management positions, more than half the women surveyed declared that they would relocate for their career, thus proving women see work as a central factor in their lives. Of the 240 employees surveyed, only 70 of them were women, again demonstrating a lack of equality in the work force.

Women have experienced a historic situation of inequality in the social as well as professional aspects. Women were normally the ones that would take care of children, do the chores in the house, and in rural areas; they would work in the field with the rest of the family. However, today’s women have become more self-sufficient and independent from the predominant male figure within every historical family. Gender inequality in the workplace is becoming less common; yet, gender is a factor that affects men and women. Especially women have been subjected to a historical discrimination that has influenced society to decide which job is more suitable for women than men. However women have confronted and tried to break down the barriers that

The business world today is competitive. It's full of fierce, educated, and motivated people. For some people it's tough to rise to the top and for some people it comes much easier. It's not always about hard work! One might ask for a map to the yellow brick road, but few people are ever provided with it. Most people are stuck in an ocean making calculated guesses as to how they can reach land. Which route is the best? How much school is enough? How many certificates of accreditation is enough? How much work experience is enough? All of us ask these questions attempting to navigate our ships in a competitive world were only a few individuals ever get to their targeted career position. How many of those in leadership positions are women?

The increase of the number of women entering the workplace, especially those issued from higher education has resulted in a movement of change within businesses,