DR. RUCHI SRIVASTAVA
The term “Glass Ceiling” was coined in the 1970s, and it was noted in the 1980s that very few women were advancing to the higher positions. This issue not only hinders their ability to advance professionally, but it also undermines gender equality in general. Therefore, PGDM programs urgently need to incorporate this into their curricula.
Now let’s explore Glass Ceiling
A “glass ceiling” refers to that invisible barrier beyond which minorities, in particular women in middle level management, never rise. Silent, yet unreachable, this barrier is one of the root causes why the percentage of women occupying top-level management is much lesser than men. Although there are laws guaranteeing equal opportunity for men and women and there is frequent discussion on women empowerment but studies clearly indicate that still women significantly underrepresented in higher positions. Thus we can define Glass Ceiling as a visible barrier that prevents women from advancing to senior positions within the firm.
Let’s Explore the History of Glass Ceiling
The term Glass Ceiling was firstly coined by The Marilyn Loden at New York in 1978. It was the era when women were struggling for their growth and trying to create a space in male-dominated corporations. The “glass ceiling” emphasised on the vertical discrimination that hinders women’s job advancement in the workplace because of their gender. The glass ceiling is one of the primary causes of the much lower number of women in top management compared to men in the business sector. The glass ceiling, which restricts the growth and promotion of female employees, is a result of a variety of factors, including institutional bias, gender stereotypes, organizational structures, and intricate social norms. It is being noted that the highest positions are mostly occupied by men; a highly qualified and multitalented woman is constantly denied promotions despite her best efforts. This implies that she is unable to rise in the industry due to a widespread glass ceiling.
What promotes to Glass Ceiling
The report from McKinsey regarding Women at the Workplace 2022 state that women at higher levels are quitting from their organizations and some main reasons which have been identified are:
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Gender Bias :
The propensity for people to favour one gender over another is known as gender bias. This prejudice often has a significant effect on women in the workplace. A Checker survey conducted in 2024 found that 84% of women agreed or were unsure that gender bias and discrimination affected their capacity to obtain just treatment.
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Sexual Abuse:
One of the primary causes of the Glass Ceiling in the workplace is sexual harassment. As stated by the report of NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) since 2018 more than 400 cases of sexual harassment have been reported annual in India .Companies run the danger of losing workers and putting women’s careers on hold if they don’t take action to address this issue: In addition, 37% of women who encounter sexual harassment have their career advancement hampered, and 38% of them quit their positions early.
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Gender Roles
The glass ceiling is an imperceptible obstacle that keeps women from moving up the professional ladder, and gender roles asserted that women are more suited for caring responsibilities and men for leadership positions. Promotion in the workplace can be challenging for women since they typically handle the majority of household chores and receive less assistance from spouses. Women who want to advance in the corporate ranks and compete for positions with men who don’t have the same expectations are frequently under more stress and strain to balance these obligations.
Shattering the Glass Ceiling and promoting the Gender Parity
Breaking this glass barrier is necessary for modern India, as it is need of today. Women brings diversity in the organization, they are excellent in problem solving techniques, creativity and a comprehensive leadership style. Their involvement in leadership positions results in more inclusive decision-making, improved representation of targeted markets, and a wider variety of solutions to challenging issues. Women in leadership positions add special value to their teams by increasing output, encouraging improved collaboration, and working to implement positive social change in the workplace. According to the survey, businesses with at least 30% female executives made more money overall than those with few or no female executives.
The organizations must actively work to create an environment that supports women’s advancement in addition to helping them personally overcome these barriers.
- Encouraging inclusive hiring and advancement procedures: Since bias can substantially inhibit women’s professional advancement; organizations should encourage transparency in hiring and promotion choices to allow them opportunity to grow within the company.
- Empowering Employee Voice: In the workplace, women frequently struggle to be heard, their grievances and problems are not being noticed by the higher authorities, which can hinder their ability to advocate for themselves and bring about change. To enable female employees to voice concerns without fear of retaliation, firms must offer resources like grievance management systems and anonymous feedback channels. Businesses may effectively address inequality and give women a voice by fostering an environment of accountability and open communication.
- Breaking Barriers with TechnologyThe use of the AI and updated technologies can help the organizations to create the equitable future. With features like data analytics, employee engagement tools, automated procedures and Artificial Intelligence, the organizations can successfully identify and address gender inequalities.
Conclusion
Glass ceiling is the need of Modern India as now the women are showing their skills and leadership styles in all every sectors of the corporate, they should be provided with the ladder to go head at higher designation and also be the member of Boardroom. In PGDM, teaching the of Glass Ceiling helps them understand the need to dismantle these barriers and promote gender equality. Breaking the glass ceiling is a continuous effort, the organizations should ensure that female employees are given the appropriate infrastructural resources and support for the advancement to top management on par with men.
