Women in The Workplace Essay -- Work Gender Females Essays

Women in The Workplace 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. When speaking of the glass ceiling, a reference is being made to an invisible, artificial barrier that prevents qualified individuals from advancing within their organization and reaching full potential. The glass ceiling describes the point beyond when women managers and executives are not promoted. These barriers result from institutional and psychological practices. The glass ceiling exists and is evident in three different levels. These levels are: Apprenticeship, The Pipeline and Alice in Wonderland. Although not every organization has all three levels, one level could sometimes be more predominant in one part of an organization and not in another. Apprenticeship Women in the United States have been admitted into apprenticeship programs in large numbers, for so many years, that it is seemingly easy for young women to believe and for management to assert that discrimination is obsolete, and that the glass ceiling is either a myth or a subject that will automatical... ..., A. (1996, March). ?Glass Ceiling Red Flags.? http://www.bickerstaff.com 2. Constable, P. (1995, October). ?A Glass Ceiling of Misperceptions.? http://www.washingtonpost.com 3. Author Unknown (1997). ?The Three Levels of the Glass Ceiling: Sorcerer?s Apprentice to through the Looking Glass.? Dataline, Inc. http://cyberwerks.com 4. Author Unknown. (1997, January). ?Glass Ceiling rises, but remains intact.? Business First. http://cgi.amcity.com 5. Miller, L. (1997, June). ?Women are making it their business to get ahead.? Community Newspaper Company. www.towonline.com 6. Author Unknown. (1997, February). ?Breaking Through.? Business Week Archives. http://www.businessweek.com. 7. Author Unknown. Internet news article www.theglassceiling.com 8. Author unknown. Internet news article. www.womenswire.com