Glass Ceiling Of Women In The Workforce

Described as the “glass-ceiling” effect, women, irrespective of where they are geographically, are facing various challenges in the work environment. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s 1991, glass ceiling is defined as “ the artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.”

Factors like social norms, education, governmental policies, private and public sector policies, as well as gender role have a substantial effect on the disadvantages women face relative to men in the workforce. Although the reasons behind glass ceiling vary from one society to another, it is commonly the case that the impediment of women’s

Due to the industrial revolution and the owners’ ambition to increase profits, that drew attention to the “cheap labor” cost of women and children, women were gradually allowed to enter the public sphere (Nicholas and Oxley 1993). Although this was merely driven through economic and financial reasons, the industrial revolution helped women develop a sense of independence. The Second World War further developed women’s role in the labor pool, as they did not only fill in their male counterparts’ gap during the time of war, but were also encouraged to remain part of the labor force due to the reconstruction effort and the economic growth that took place between the 1940s and 1950s (Goldin 1991). Additionally, the importance of women’s role in the society was acknowledged through the Convention of the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 (UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of