Page 51 - Management Digest Udyama Vol 1 Isuue 2
P. 51
The case of ‘glass-ceiling’ for When education, experience, Chancellors and Deans than
women managers skills, and talents held by female women.
managers are not properly
‘Would things have been different utilized, corporations lose, and, by Women managers, unite!
in 2008 if instead of Lehman extension, so do societies at large.
Brothers we had been dealing This brings to mind the widely Viewing reality from a Weberian
with Lehman Sisters?’ The researched subject of “tacit perspective, we can see that in the
obviously well intended ironic knowledge” left unused. 21st century private and public
question, heard widely in World enterprises and organizations,
Mass Media, is not completely The ‘glass ceiling’: on a global scale, continue to
irrelevant. The comment, caustic a widespread practice operate under a patriarchal type of
but succinct, brought forth a authority structure.
reality facing talented women Two decades ago, Cotter et al
in education, corporate life and (2001) found that the ‘glass I will close this short glimpse at
politics. ceiling’ phenomenon in the USA the detrimental ‘glass ceiling’
continues to exist not only despite phenomenon doing injustice to
While women outnumber men in the introduction and enforcement talented women and creating large
college and university enrolment, of the historic “Civil Rights Act financial and socio-psychological
percentage-wise, they are by of 1964’, which aimed at banning costs, wondering how much more
far outnumbered by their male all forms of discrimination, but time we need until the day a
colleagues. also despite the Title II of the woman manager will paraphrase
Civil Rights Act of 1991 which another historically significant
established the ‘Glass Ceiling maxim, that of Marx and Engels,
Making excuses Commission’. calling women managers to unite,
“as they will have nothing to lose
A stereotype is that women A February 2011, a survey by but a lot to gain by smashing the
prefer family life to career, and the “Institute of Leadership glass ceiling which keeps them
will sooner or later abstain from and Management” reported by trapped in the middle rungs of
full-time employment as marriage the BBC, suggested that things corporations and organizations’.
and motherhood prevent them are not much better for British
from devoting the same amounts women managers. The BBC
of energy and effort in advancing reported that 3/4 of the women
their careers compared to their taking part in this survey are still
male counterparts. facing barriers to promotion to
higher corporate positions.
This being said, women who are
willing to refrain from creating Education: no exception
a family are not promoted to
the highest management ranks The cards seem to be stacked
despite the fact that they possess against women managers in
all the necessary training, skills, corporate life but things do not
experience and leadership talents, appear to be better in academic
often surpassing those of their life. Statistics show that in
male competitors. many colleges and universities,
women are enrolled in larger
numbers than men but looking
How corporations and at the staff rosters of teaching Prof. Georgios Piperopoulos
societies are losing out and research personnel, it is Honorary Professor in
a reality that men outnumber
Preventing women from their women. Even a superficial glance Management & Marketing
right to rise to the highest levels of top executives in educational at Durham University
of management is a fact that can institutions will reveal that Business School
cost dearly although it may not there are more men holding the United Kingdom
be reflected in corporate annual positions of Rectors and Vice
balance sheets. rectors, Chancellors and Vice
September 2021 49