scholarly journals Glass Ceiling or Personal Barriers: A Study of Underrepresentation of Women in Senior Management

2019 ◽  
Vol IV (IV) ◽  
pp. 126-134
Author(s):  
Marriam Ayub ◽  
Rao Aamir Khan ◽  
Muhammad Khushnood

The glass ceiling has been termed the factor for underrepresentation of women in higher management positions. Pakistani society is believed to be dominated by men in all walks including positions in higher management. The purpose of this study is to explore whether it is the glass ceiling or the personal barriers that result in the underrepresentation phenomena of women in higher management. This exploratory study has surveyed, through a semi-structured interview, the middle and higher-level women manager from private organizations located in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The findings suggest that it is not only glass ceiling barriers but also personal characteristics that hinder womens professional growth. The study also contributes to identifying personal and glass ceiling barriers and their relative importance.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Burcu Akkaya

The purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of educational administrators about the factors that arise from the glass ceiling syndrome which prevents women from becoming senior managers in educational organizations. In addition, in this study, suggestions have been developed for women to overcome the obstacles they face in reaching senior management positions. Qualitative method was used in this research. The research was conducted as a descriptive study in the survey model. The participants of the study consisted of educational administrators working in Niğde province. Semi-structured interview technique was used to examine and reveal the views of the participants in depth. Content analysis method was used in the analysis of data. According to the results, all participants think that women face glass ceiling barriers in the promotion of senior managerial positions. Obstacles to the glass ceiling are mostly due to individual factors. Individual factors were followed by organizational and social factors, respectively. Among the individual factors, the most important obstacles are women's negative view of management and their family responsibilities. Women do not aspire to management tasks because they require more workload and responsibility. In addition, male-dominated organizational policies and the sexist approach, which sees management as man's job are barriers for women. It has been suggested that women should be more willing and challenging to overcome the glass ceiling barriers. In addition, suggestions were made for senior management positions such as allocating quotas and providing flexible working hours for women.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barsha Rana

The study is intended to explore women’s perception of glass ceiling in the private organizations of Pokhara. Hundred women with different age groups working in different private organizations of Pokhara were taken as the sample. Their perception on the disparate treatment of women in organizations, behavior of their male colleagues towards them, the role of their family members in their professional growth, perception of role conflict and their aspiration towards their career advancements were asked and have been analyzed to find out if women perceive the existence of glass ceiling. In this regard, viewpoints of their male counterparts have also been taken into consideration. The Journal of Nepalese Business Studies Vol. IV, No. 1(2007) pp. 83-87


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Doron ◽  
C. Richard Baker ◽  
Kiren Dosanjh Zucker

ABSTRACT This paper traces the evolution of the chief accounting and chief financial officers from minor figures in corporate governance for most of the 20th century to senior management positions by the late 1970s. The paper begins with the testimony before Congress of Arthur Tucker during the debates over the legislation that would become the 1933 Securities Act. Tucker's testimony resulted in the controller or chief accounting officer being included among those persons specifically listed as potentially liable for fraudulent statements or omissions under Section 11 of the Act. The impact of Tucker's efforts, the evolution of the legal liability of financial and accounting officers over the next several decades, the increasing complexity of corporate finance and financial reporting that led to the establishment of the CFO as a position second only to the CEO, and the place of the accounting officer among senior management, are analyzed in the subsequent sections.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109861112110090
Author(s):  
Vanessa M. Diaz ◽  
Lidia E. Nuño

Law enforcement is still considered a male dominated occupation resulting in the underrepresentation of women in sworn personnel positions. While it is critical for police departments to have a more representative police force, there is a lack of research on the factors that affect the likelihood of women entering policing. Past studies suggest that men and women have similar reasons for joining policing. However, research on the factors that deter potential candidates from pursuing this career path is limited. This paper examines factors that may affect the likelihood of women pursuing a career in policing. We rely on data collected from a sample of undergraduate students enrolled in criminal justice courses (n = 421). Our results show that, relative to men, women are less likely to be interested in pursuing a career as a police officer. However, more than half of the women in our sample reported interest in pursuing a career in policing. We find that for men and women, the likelihood for pursuing a career in policing was affected by a number of personal characteristics and the current socio-political climate. While a notable limitation of our study is its limited generalizability, overall, our findings offer some promise for the potential of representative policing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Fredericks ◽  
Nereda White

The first recorded Aboriginal person to graduate with an undergraduate qualification from any Australian university was Aboriginal woman Margaret Williams-Weir in 1959 ( Melbourne University, 2018 ). Williams-Weir graduated with a Diploma in Education. There have now been six decades of graduating Indigenous Australian women in the discipline of education, and many other disciplines. In this article, we explore Indigenous women’s presence in higher education through the narratives of our lives as Aboriginal women within education and the lives of other Indigenous women, noting their achievements and challenges. We acknowledge that while the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women participating in university study and becoming engaged in education as a discipline at undergraduate and postgraduate levels has increased, we are still significantly underrepresented. Similarly, while we have seen increases in Indigenous university staff within the education discipline, the employment of Indigenous academics has not reached parity with non-Indigenous academics levels and too few are employed in the professoriate and in senior management positions. We will show how we would not have been able to develop our education careers within higher education without the bridges built by those like Dr Williams-Weir and others who went before us. We will share how we have worked to establish the footings for those Indigenous women who will follow us and others. In this way, we work within the context that is for the now and the future.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 466-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caren Brenda Scheepers ◽  
Anastasia Douman ◽  
Preya Moodley

Purpose In South Africa, women in senior management positions experience social identity dilemmas, necessitating more research into this domain. While research has been conducted into coaching and mentoring of these women, limited scholarly attention has been paid to sponsorship. This paper aims to explore the social identity of women at senior management levels and sponsorship as a proposed mechanism to develop talented women. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative research included two studies using two sample groups, both of which included executive-level respondents in corporate organisations. One study focussed on sponsorship; here, the 29-strong sample included 14 male and 15 female executives, of whom 15 were White; 9 were African and 5 were Indian. The second study, consisting of only African, coloured and Indian (ACI) female executives (23 interviewees), focussed more broadly on their development path to the C-suite. Findings A common theme across the two studies was the inclination to give developmental support, in turn, once supported. There were prerequisites in this support-giving, however. For example, sponsors identified criteria that protégés had to meet. Despite evident gender inequality at senior management levels in South Africa, this paper reveals that in the Study 1 sample, gender and race were ostensibly irrelevant when choosing a sponsor or who to sponsor. A closer examination revealed a gender-based expectation, embedded in the South African context. Study 2 showed that ACI women above 50 years of age were more inclined to mentor others; even when they themselves were not mentored, some purposefully developed other ACI women. This paper thus suggests age as an important additional diversity dimension in relation to the career development of ACI women towards the C-suite. The findings have implications for the career development of individual ACI women and for organisations in reaching equality. Research limitations/implications Gender differences with regard to perceptions also revealed that male respondents perceived sponsorship more as task-based actions, whereas female respondents focussed on relational elements. The paper concludes with recommendations on how individual ACI women and organisations can proactively develop talented women. Originality/value The paper offers insight into the gendered expectations of sponsors and gendered perceptions around merit in identifying protégés worthy of sponsorship. ACI women’s social identity changed when they joined the C-suite to identify more with their roles as executives and became less associated with their original ACI women group.


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