Many women would like to be promoted to upper management. Why do so few of them make it? Several explanations are given for this state of affairs. Among them is the common idea that women interrupt their careers to have babies, and by the time they return, the men have overtaken them. This is not the true reason – one look at the low birth rate in the industrialized countries is proof of that.
Another popular non-explanation for discrimination against women focuses on women’s appearance, with the argument that it is “too feminine” for the boardroom. So, ambitious women have been trying for years to dress for success.
But neither the “power suit” of the 80s nor the unisex look of the 90s allowed them to break through the glass ceiling. Most women still find themselves at best stuck in middle-management positions, with no promise of advancement, while men around them are promoted over their heads.
An important factor continues to be that many bosses are reluctant to promote women. Traditional chauvinists are now, fortunately, a dying minority. But even men who believe women have a rightful place in the corporate world face the problem of how to promote a woman without starting rumours of some form of inappropriate relationship. A boss may also be under subconscious pressures to show “solidarity” with his sex.
Women face a whole complex of frustrations at work. Lack of advancement is, of course, a major one. Another is the workplace atmosphere. Working women are constantly having to fight against unspoken stereotypes that come from traditional family roles. These are partly within themselves (“I have to be a good girl to be liked”), partly on the part of other women (“Who does she think she is?”) and partly on the part of men (“Women can not make decisions”).
The system inside the corporation seems to block women at every turn, until nagging questions start to come up, both from inside the women themselves and from others, about whether they are “missing out on life”. Some typical questions are, “Shouldn’t you start having children?” or “Why don’t you forget all this?” Even ambitious women can find themselves drifting away from the corporate world in their 30s.
In many countries there are obvious limits to what work women are allowed to do — for example, places where women require permission from their husbands to work and/or where they are concentrated in poor quality jobs. Women are concentrated in certain roles and limited to specific management functions in a way that is indicative of the “glass walls” phenomenon, which is occupational segregation by gender.
What can women do? Work hard not to get sidelined, and keep your public profile up. Find a mentor or adviser in the boardroom. On a deeper psychological level, recognize your right to run the system and to be the boss. Don’t be afraid that such a big job could “defeminize” you. Keep on showing that you want the position and that you can do it well.
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