The concept of “glass ceiling” refers to the “artificial barriers to the advancement of women/it is unseen, yet an unbreachable barrier that keeps women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder (Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, 1995).” The glass ceiling comprises two different components: the first “Glass” makes it harder for women to be seen as competent; the other “Ceiling” assesses women's performance with stricter standards than men's.
Women are caught in a paradox--if they are perceived as too feminine, they are perceived as not qualified; yet if they are not feminine enough they are perceived as competent but lacking in social skills (Williams, 2005). Hence, for women you can be competent or liked, but not both.
However looking at India's 113th rank out of 157 countries in terms of Gender Development Index (May 2010), it seems India has to go a long way to realize the dream of gender equality. Organizations with balanced representation of men and women perform better. It works on simple logic, each individual brings his/her unique skill set to the table, and this goes beyond gender to include all forms of diversity. Companies need to give equal opportunities to all and hire basis merit. The strength lies in taking on board the different perspectives that different individuals on a team bring to the table and use that to better the performance of the organization.
The present study is an attempt to investigate the presence of Glass Ceiling in Software Sector of Mumbai City.
Glass Ceiling, Gender Discrimination, Women Empowerment, Leadership, Barriers in Carrier Advancement, Software Sector, Mumbai city
