Leadership Labyrinth Analysis

In the United States, study after study continues to show that women have fewer opportunities to advance in the workplace than men. These disadvantages are a result of society’s views of women in leadership positions and how women may view themselves in these roles. Women have been making progress in terms of equality in pay and job positions, but significant gaps remain. Women who strive to be promoted into higher levels of responsibility in their companies often meet resistance that prevents them from achieving the goal of a senior or executive level of management. This barrier is referred to as the “glass ceiling” and it is a controversial issue in our country today. The glass ceiling called this because women are able to see the higher level positions, but can reach them because of an intangible barrier. One can look at the Fortune 500 companies, which are the most successful companies in the U.S. in terms of revenue to see how few women are in leadership positions. Clearly, women are significantly underrepresented in these companies, as less than 5 percent of these companies have female chief executive officers (CEO) today (Dockterman 105). Providing the opportunity for women to move into management positions, like CEOs, would bring a unique talent and a new perspective on how the company can operate to perform better (Buckalew 147). The “glass ceiling” is a real obstacle that creates an intangible barrier that puts women at a disadvantage in advancing in a company.

Promotions may not apply to women due to pregnancy. In “breaking down barriers for women” it was stated that in the 1960s the job opportunities were limited to teacher, nurse, secretary. Women were paid lower salaries and were denied opportunities to advance because employers assumed that they would be soon get pregnant and quit. Society had the mentality that men needed the opportunities to advance due to the fact that had families to support.

This paper explores three published articles that report on how many women lack job security when working while pregnant. Many are either denied the special accommodations or forced to quit their job. The Pregnant Worker Fairness Act (PWFA) is a bill currently pending in Congress, that would help to end any type of discrimination towards pregnant workers and ensure that they would be able to continue working to support their families. The articles all agree that the PWFA would put in place rules and guidelines for employers to follow that would help protect the job of the pregnant employee. Brown (2016) states that much has changed for women in the workforce during the last half-century, but treatment of pregnant workers remains frustratingly

“Discriminating against a woman because she appears less capable than a man is prohibited by Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.” (Employer) On average, women who work full time, all year, earn 77 cents for every dollar a man in the exact same position earns. Many women will try to hide pregnancies from their employers in fear that they will lose promotions or possibly their job in the future because of their 12 week maternity leave entitled to them by the Family and Medical Leave Act. A more attractive woman may be hired over a less attractive but more qualified women for the sole fact that she is more attractive.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individuals from discrimination based upon their sex and makes it illegal for a business to discriminate against a person’s hiring, firing, and additional terms and conditions of hire (Alexander & Hartman, 2001). Title VII covers all private employers, government employees, and any institution that employs 15 or more persons. These laws also cover employment agencies, labor groups, and agencies that control apprenticeships and training.

Besides the previous reasons stated, one of the most common problems for women in the workplace is being discriminated against due to pregnancy. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has stated seeing a 65 percent increase in complaints about discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace between 1992 and 2007 (Chaney, 2008). Example of pregnancy discrimination are refusing to hire a pregnant woman, firing or demoting a pregnant women, denying a woman the same or similar job when she returns, or treating a pregnant employee differently than other temporarily disabled employees. Many women get laid off and even fired from their jobs because they get pregnant. Often male bosses will give excuses for these situations saying that the woman is unable to do their job or that their missing attendance will be a problem due to their pregnancy. Some bosses simply give the reason that women will not be as interested in their job once the child is born, which is an outrageous assumption to make.

In regards to employment, many managers prefer hiring males between their 20’s and 30’s over females of the same age in order to avoid costs for maternity leave. According to a survey of 500 managers conducted by Slater & Gordon, 40% admitted they were usually skeptical when it came to hiring women of childbearing age, and a similar number were skeptical of hiring a woman that already had a child or were hiring a mother for a senior role. Another 25% said that they preferred hiring males so as to avoid any complications regarding maternity leave and childcare upon a woman’s return to work, and a third of the managers made the claim that women are “not as good at their jobs when they come back from maternity leave” (Press Association 1). Furthermore, the difference in pay between that of a male and a female is also an issue that affects women more than they can imagine.

The "glass ceiling" has held women back from certain positions and opportunities in the workplace. Women are stereotyped as part-time, lower-grade workers with limited opportunities for training and advancement because of this "glass ceiling". How have women managed their careers when confronted by this glass ceiling? It has been difficult; American women have struggled for their role in society since 1848. Women’s roles have changed significantly throughout the past centuries because of their willingness and persistence. Women have contributed to the change pace of their role in the workplace by showing motivation and perseverance.

The American dream, an aspiration of “a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”, is a cherished ideology in the hearts of Americans. ("The American Dream, What Is The American Dream?"). Although the American dream dogma is presented to be accessible to all individuals, obstacles and barriers such as financial and social differences, specifically with gender inequalities, limit the ease and simplicity in which such a dream can be achieved for that area of people. Unfortunately, many of these discriminations still exist today. Even more so with women in the work environment, such issues serve as prevalent matters located within their own personal American dreams. The workplace, an atmosphere fostered upon the daily relationships that employees experience, serves as a central foundation for teamwork, human interaction and employee affairs. Therefore, it is vital that all employees, especially women, be treated equally regardless of their gender. Common barriers and differences women face are socially and financially focused. In this research paper, I will be addressing the gender inequalities women face in the workplace in regards to pay, as well as the role and impact motherhood has on such inequalities.

Throughout the Labyrinth deliberates women’s role in leadership and how women have cracked through obstacles in order to work on or at the same level as their male colleagues. Eagly and Carli present their collected works by asking eleven questions throughout the book of eleven chapters, thoughtfully how a women’s places in organizations have really changed over time, which they really have women are not the typical women as they use to be or what we are used to them being. With all of their findings, it becomes stress-free to see how far women have came, until now how much further us women still have to go in order to be held in the same respect or esteem as male leaders. The most important themes that run through the book are women’s right

Researchers have proposed a variety of explanations for systematic gender inequality in the workplace. Cultural benefits, the actions of male employees, the actions of the female employees, and the actions of the employer can contribute to intentional or unintentional gender discrimination (Ngo, Foley, Wong, & Loi, 2003). It has also been mentioned that women make less money because their work environment is generally safer than the stereotypical male work environment; childcare, cashiers, and secretary positions as opposed to firefighters, truck drivers and construction workers (Parcheta, Kaifi, & Khanfar, 2013). Perhaps the most dominant reasoning for women receiving less pay is the carrying over of biological roles into the workplace. Female employees often take time off to have a family, take care of a family, and are the primary caregiver of said family.

A second key issue is the hiring process. Many companies prefer to hire men over women for a positionregardless of their education or experience. Some reasons this may be is because most females have to balance work and family duties which may be a huge barrier in helping advancement in an organization, so an employer may prefer to hire a man who will not come with the baggage of children or the issue of balancing work and family duties. During an interview some women are not hired because they cannot be taken seriously because some may wear too much make-up or their pants suit or skirt may be too tight. Women that are pregnant are also sometimes not considered for a position because the manager may worry about the women wanting time off work on maternity leave. This may not be a direct financial concern about paying women while on maternity leave. It's more about the cost of replacing and training someone to cover their role while they are off.

Ninety-six percent of top 50 fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender discrimination in their non-discrimination policies. New organizational policies have been created to protect women in various situations from discrimination. Unless gender is a bona fide occupational qualification, an employer cannot discriminate based on gender when hiring applicants and/or at work. Similarly, women cannot be terminated for becoming pregnant. Eighty-five percent of female employees will be pregnant at some point in with working lives, but under the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act women now do not need to fear becoming pregnant. However, discrimination occurs most often in more covert forms. For example, many men will be promoted because of the gender stereotype that assumes men are natural leaders. Employers are trying to remedy even the covert issues and imbalances between genders because the increased benefits to the entire organization. Now, organizations as a whole are being educated on the firm policies, including women in the social environment, use unbiased assessment and evaluation methods, and flexible arrangements for work. Discrimination against women in the workplace has decrease significantly over the past hundred years, making women in all professional positions more comfortable at work; the legal workplace is no exception. Female lawyers are now protected from discrimination and co-workers are educated through

As the author points out, the figures on women in leadership is staggering in disparity. The article takes time to focus on identifying and highlighting reasons what makes a successful leader. Having an opportunity to attend a leadership meeting, in which we discussed improving inclusion at my company, this article presented many of the same reasons that as a company we tried to understand, “Why do we not have more women in leadership?” This article really underscores that in order for a business to survive and grow or for that matter, any organization to flourish you need to find individuals that embody the above-mentioned leadership traits not just seniority.

Discrimination may not always be direct, in fact, most of the time women are indirectly discriminated in the workplace. It’s not as simple as witnessing a female worker being verbally harassed for doing the same exact job as a male worker. It can merely be a promotion overlooked. Statistics have recently shown that out of 710 companies, “only five reported having a board comprised of 50 percent (or more) women” (Racco, 2017). Factors that play into this statistic may also be the fact that women are primarily looked to as being the one who takes care of the children in the family, resulting in fewer hours within the office and less recognition. Furthermore, when women bear a child, maternity leave comes into play, whereas for males, there is less pressure for them to take time off for parental leave. Many families must decide who is going to work and who is going to look after the newly born child. In most cases, it ends up that the mother of the family stays home rather than the father.