Exploding the “Glass ceiling”: A gender equality initiative towards maximizing competitiveness

Glass ceiling is one of the most controversial and emotional aspects of employment in organizations. The “glass ceiling” has come to mean an invisible, but virtually impenetrable, barrier between women and the executive suite, preventing them from reaching the top levels of the corporate world regardless of their accomplishments and virtues. The general-case glass ceiling hypothesis states that not only is it more difficult for women than for men to be promoted up levels of authority hierarchies within workplaces but also that the obstacles women face relative to men become greater as they move up the hierarchy. Gender-based discrimination in promotions is not simply present across levels of hierarchy but is more intense at higher levels. Cultural and social attitudes towards what constitutes “male” or “female” type of jobs result in occupational segregation, although the extent of the problem varies from country to country, and from job to job. Women are mainly concentrated in the “feminized” professions subject to horizontal occupational segregation where at the same time they remain afflicted with vertical occupational segregation also.

The research paper identifies specific attitudinal and organizational barriers that severely limit opportunities for the upward mobility of qualified women candidates and expands practices and policies which promote employment opportunities for the advancement of women in positions of responsibility. Finally, this study focuses towards generating feasible suggestions of breaking the glass ceiling and propagating a transparent skill based culture in the organizations.