GLASS CEILING

(What is it ?How to tackle it ?)

Shivani Arora(PT01)
Sudhir Agrawal (PC01)
Hussain Tinwala (QA15)
 • "Glass ceiling" means an invisible upper limit in
corporations and other organizations, above
which it is difficult or impossible for minorities
to rise in the ranks.

• "Glass ceiling" is a metaphor for the hard-to-see

WHAT IS IT? informal barriers that keep minorities from
getting promotions, pay raises and further
opportunities.

• It is glass because it's not usually a visible

barrier, and the person may not be aware of its
existence until he/she "hits" the barrier

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 • The U.S. Department of Labor 1991 defines
glass ceiling as "Those artificial barriers based
on attitudinal or organizational bias that
DEFINITION prevent qualified individuals from advancing
upward in their organization into management-
level positions."

(Report on the Glass Ceiling Initiative. U.S. Department of Labor, 1991.)

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 • The term "glass ceiling" was popularized in the
1980s.
• The Oxford English Dictionary notes that the first
Origin of the use of the term was in 1984 book, The Working
Woman Report, by Gay Bryant: "Women have
Phrase reached a certain point—I call it the glass ceiling.
They're in the top of middle management and
they're stopping and getting stuck."
• The metaphor was then used by feminists in
reference to barriers in the careers of high
achieving women

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• A report written by Ann Morrison,
Breaking The Glass Ceiling(1987)
concluded that there are few true
differences between men and women
in psychological, emotional or
intellectual qualities.
• Women are expected to be tough
but not to display “macho”
characteristics.
• They were expected to take
responsibility yet to be obedient in
following orders.
• They were expected to be
ambitious yet not to expect equal
treatment

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 DO YOU THINK
GLASS CEILING STILL
EXIST ?
(Debate still continues…)

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DO YOU THINK GLASS CEILING STILL EXIST ? A Survey
Were you aware of the term glass ceiling Do you think women and men are equally
before? treated at work place ?

20.40%
44.20% 30.30%

55.80%
49.30%

yes no yes no maybe

Total No Of Respondents :- 211

Gender :- Male(60%)
Female(40%)
Age Group:- 18-25 (75%) 40-60 (6.7%) 7
26-40(17.7%) Above 60 (1.4%)
 Do you think People should be rewarded A woman must perform better than a
based on their performance, regardless of man to be promoted. Do you agree?
whether they are men or women?
9.50%

43.10%
Do you think Women and men can
perform the same work equally 56.90%
90.50% well?

16.10%
yes no
no yes

83.90%

yes no 8
 Women are placed in positions beyond
Standards are higher for women than their level of competence because of
men.Do you agree ? affirmative action employment programs.
Do you agree?

43.10% 44.2

56.90% 55.8

no yes yes no

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 • Male dominated management, which made all the
decisions for the company.
Reasons why • Lack of proper anti discrimination law and
government action on discrimination
feminists feel • Men's attitude towards problems faced by women
that glass • Preference of men over women of same educational
qualification and calibre.
ceiling still • Sexual harassment was seen as another major
exists.. hindrance in the women's career.
• Resistance to women’s leadership
• Leadership style issues
• Family demands

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 • Women’s liberation, feminism and civil rights
legislation already provide for women equality
Arguments • Women’s job choices keep them off of the
executive track
from those • Women don’t have the right educational
who believe preparation for senior executive jobs
• Women who do make job choices that put them
there’s no on the executive track and do have the right
glass ceiling at educational preparation have not been in the
corporation long enough to build up
present experience- and this will automatically correct
itself with time

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The changing scenario..
• In 1978 women made up 35.9% of the labor
force compared to 46.1% as of June
2015.(Australia)
• The labor force participation rate for women in
2015 was 49.6% compared and Only 7% of
senior leadership roles were held by
women(Japan)
• Women hold 34.8% of all management
positions and 37.1% of all senior management
positions (Canada)
• According to one report, women held 20.5% of
board seats (Canada)
• Canada Has a National Goal of 30% Women on
Boards by 2019

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 • Women's Participation in the Labor Force
Continues to Fall
• Women's labor force participation rate fell from
The Indian 34.8% in 1990 to just 26.7% in 2014.
scenario • In 2016, women held 16.0% of senior leadership
roles.
• According to one report, women held 11.2% of
board seats in 2015.

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 • Human resource professionals are often in
Why HR leadership positions that allow them to have a
broad impact on organizations.
Professionals • It is important that they are knowledgeable
about how the glass-ceiling phenomenon may
Need to directly or indirectly impact an organization's
reputation, customer loyalty, diversity of skill
Understand sets, growth potential and even its bottom line.
the Concept of • HR professionals are also required to be
knowledgeable of employment laws, programs
the Glass and practices for their organization. Because
the law provides protection for certain
Ceiling? demographic groups, such as women, in the
labor market,

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 • Human resource professionals have a significant
part to play—through organizational culture,
HR’s Role In workplace policies and practices, change
Breaking the management and workforce education—to
develop women leaders who will break down
Glass Ceiling gender-based barriers.
• These barriers run the gamut from gender
stereotypes to preferred leadership styles to
tokenism in the high managerial ranks.

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 • Examine organizational culture by looking for
barriers.
The following • Drive change through management.
are some • Foster inclusion which includes mentoring.
• Educate and support women in career development.
areas where • Measure for change – track women’s training
HR can make a throughout the organization.
• Review company policies to make sure they are fair
real and inclusive.
• Explore reasons why women leave the company.
difference. • Anti-Discrimination Enforcement.

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 • Set Objectives to Align Your Competencies
With Top Management
Ways to break • Build Your Network
through glass • Build Your Reputation
• Know Your Rights
ceiling • Don’t procrastinate
• Eliminate assumptions
• Aim high
• Failure is not a weakness
• Recognize that success is plentiful
• Cultivate confidence and a sense of
humor
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 • As of July of 2014, Fortune Magazine reported that
there were 51 female CEOs in charge
of Fortune 1000 companies, and of those 51, 24
headed top 500 companies. While 51 may seem a
Figures To paltry number, with 24 being even more so, it is
actually inspiring, as the total number of female
Look Upon CEOs has been on the rise.

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Southern California Edison's History
of Discrimination Lawsuits
• Southern California Edison is no stranger
to racial discrimination lawsuits.
• In 2010 (again after 1974 and 1994), a
group of black workers sued the
company for discrimination.
• The workers accused the company of
consistently denying them promotions,
not paying them fairly and biased job
assignments.

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Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins
• It was an important decision by the United
States Supreme Court on the issues of
prescriptive sex discrimination
• The employee, Anne Hopkins, sued her
former employer, the accounting firm Price
Waterhouse.
• She argued that the she was denied
partnership at the firm for two years in a
row based on her lack of conformity to
stereotypes about how women should act
and what they should look like.

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• The head supervisor of her
department, Thomas Beyer, told
her that to increase chances of
promotion she needed to "walk
more femininely, talk more
femininely, dress more femininely,
wear make-up, have her hair styled,
and wear jewellery."

• Both the district court and the

federal circuit court of appeals
ruled in Hopkins's favour.
• The Supreme Court's ruling
established that gender
stereotyping is actionable as sex
discrimination.

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 Kleiner Perkins Caufield &
Byers
• In a $16 million lawsuit, Ellen Pao sued her
former employer, the venture-capital firm
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, for gender
discrimination.
• She alleged that the company overlooked her
for promotions on the basis of gender and
later terminated her when she brought up the
issue

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Indian Women Breaking Through Glass Ceiling

• Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the • Shikha Sharma is the Managing

chairman and managing director of Director & CEO of Axis Bank
Biocon Limited

• Indra Nooyi is the current

Chairperson and Chief Executive 23
Officer of PepsiCo
 • Yes, in past GLASS CEILING did exist which
prevented women and other minorities from
gaining top position.
• But looking at the rise of women gaining top
managerial positions it is still a debatable
question if glass ceiling still exists in this
CONCLUDING.. modern world.
• If not completely removed, the glass ceiling
has for sure become thinner
• In any organization people from all the levels
of hierarchy have to come along together to
fight against any sort of racial or gender
discrimination
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