Diversity is not something one may think about in daily life, or even on a regular basis; however, it affects us each and every day, and in more ways than we would like to believe. The term diversity may be used to describe something positive, such as the diversity of a school’s athletics participants has helped reduce gang violence by facilitating cross-cultural friendships. It may also carry a negative connotation, as in a workplace’s lack of diversity has cultivated an environment of racism and sexism that affects company productivity. It is especially important for employers to be aware of the issues surrounding workplace diversity, as this can affect every aspect of a company. In my search to understand some relevant issues involving workplace diversity, I began researching “the glass ceiling.”
The theory of the glass ceiling that woman experience in the workplace has been around for decades. As this affects woman of all races, ages, and religions it was simple to find significant material. The article used here to examine this metaphor was written for the American Psychological Association for print in their Psychology of Women Quarterly series. It consists of several reviews of books about women’s issues in the workplace and this idea of the glass ceiling. The first book review speaks to the real relevance of the glass ceiling symbol in our world today. The most interesting point, and possibly most controversial, is the idea that workplace equality has indeed been reached. It also states that instead in sticking to the past definition of this glass ceiling, we should examine more specifically what issues women are facing today. Another point addressed in this first review is the fact that glass ceiling issues ...
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...ause this person to struggle with fitting into the company. It can also cause a division of staff if these individuals do not see enough common elements in their personalities, cultures, or lifestyle. A simple way to deal with these problems is to have staff parties and encourage family to join. Often this can create friendships and bridge the gaps between employees that thought they had nothing in common.
With the many factors that affect the worker, is diversity really that important? Simply stated, yes! It is the survival of the attitude of ignorance that has created a deeply-rooted error in the structure and function of our economy. The company that chooses to focus more on the diversity of their products and advertising is more successful, is it not? This same idea applies to the workers that make that company possible.
After doing some critical thinking, I decided to select the "Glass Ceiling Theory" as my topic. My thesis statement will include how research proves that the "Glass Ceiling Theory" isn't a theory at all, it is an authentic term used to describe the invisible barrier that keeps women and minorities from advancing in the corporate world. The term "Glass Ceiling" can apply to women who are kept from elevating in the corporate world because they are female. Female executives are reduced to particular types of jobs, often staff and supportive jobs that provide limited opportunity for growth. I believe that men and women were proven to be equal decades ago, but the earnings of women in comparison to men are unjust. On average, women earn less than
The glass ceiling is defined as the “unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps… women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements.” According to the Department of Labor, the glass ceiling is made up of “artificial barriers [that are] based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.” Qualified women are continuously denied a promotion to the highest levels of corporate America and other professions. Once women reach a certain level at their career, they plateau and the glass ceiling prevents them from advancing any higher.
Cañas, K. A., & Sondak, H. (2014). Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity: Theory, cases, and exercises (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Cañas, K. A. & Sondak, H. (2011). Opportunities and challenged for workplace diversity: Theory, cases, and exercises. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.
The "glass ceiling" has held women back from certain positions and opportunities in the workplace. Women are stereotyped as part-time, lower-grade workers with limited opportunities for training and advancement because of this "glass ceiling". How have women managed their careers when confronted by this glass ceiling? It has been difficult; American women have struggled for their role in society since 1848. Women’s roles have changed significantly throughout the past centuries because of their willingness and persistence. Women have contributed to the change pace of their role in the workplace by showing motivation and perseverance.
A diverse workforce more closely reflects the global marketplace that the organization competes in. With the growing number of Asian, Hispanic and other minority populations, it makes sense for companies to promote and strive for diversity in the workplace. By doing this, businesses create the very conditions needed to produce more creative outcomes to the problems and challenges they will be faced with.
Merriam-Webster defines diversity as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements; especially the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization” (Merriam-Webster, 2016). With diversity including many different elements, the concept of workplace diversity also covers a broad spectrum of topics, and continues to evolve as many companies look to expand globally. This subject has become increasingly important among managers over the last couple of decades, and has helped to reinforce other concepts such as affirmative action and equal opportunity employment. While most people believe that everyone should have the same opportunities available to them, and that we
Also, the majority of women have been able to secure employment from traditionally female occupations such as teaching compared to male-dominated careers like engineering. Moreover, democratic country like the United States of America has recognized gender inequality as a fundamental issue and espouse equal right between men and women in contributing to social, economic and cultural life. Despite this improvement, gender inequality persists as women are not represented and treated equally in the workplace (Michialidis, Morphitou, & Theophylatou, 2012). The increasing number of women in the workplace has not provided equal opportunity for career advancement for females due to the way women are treated in an organization and the society. Also, attaining an executive position seem impossible for women due to the glass ceiling effects which defines the invisible and artificial barrier created by attitudinal and organizational prejudices, which inhibit women from attaining top executive positions (Wirth
Diversity in the work place has generally been thought of as purely an employment equity issue. However, diversity is coming to be recognized as an asset which can, like any other asset that is well managed, contribute to the bottom line. Diversity is growing almost as quickly as the number of software vendors at an accounting convention (Talbot-Allen, 1995, p. 3)
Businesses that promote diversity in today's global marketplace are better able to attract and retain the best talent. Employing a diverse workforce allows a company to utilize the potential within the job market to its fullest and contributes to overall economic growth and prosperity. Differences among co-workers should not divide a workplace. Rather, differences among co-workers should be used to foster creativity and innovation, thereby driving profitability and business success.
Diversity is a highly important issue in today’s business, especially in a globalized company. Workplace diversity helps to get better solutions to business problems (Schawbel, 2012). When you have a group of individ...
This is when comparing employees where both genders spend the same amount of time working. Not only do women encounter unfairness in work pay, they also face a “glass ceiling” on a promotional basis. This glass ceiling is a “promotion barrier that prevents a woman’s upward ability” (2). For example, if a woman is able to enter a job traditionally for men, she will still not receive the same pay or experience the same increase in occupational ability. Gender typing plays a huge role in the workplace.
Diversity in the workplace has been a hot topic around organizations in the United States for several years. Diversity is the state of employing a staff of people that are different within the same organization. It includes, but is not limited to age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and even education (Nixon & West, 2000). Many organizations participate in diversity programs to ensure that all employees felt like they are part of the team not discriminated against. Research shows that having a diverse work environment improves profitability, employee performance, and better customer service.
Diversity in the workplace is important for employees because it manifests itself in building a great reputation for the company, leading to increased profitability and opportunities for workers. Making sure all members, students, parents and guarding’s are welcomed at all times in a well-mannered environment Workplace diversity is important within the organization as well as outside ensuring all different are put aside and everyone can come together and work well as a great team.
Diversity is all around us and how organizations deal with the notion of diversity can be complex and quite diverse. We know that being diverse in the workplace is important to the organization's success, should be recognized, accepted, and embraced. It’s how the organizations live up to what they believe in and must go above and beyond legal compliance and requirements to promoting diversity and inclusion. Otherwise, employees may view the organization's vision and policies as lip service and only be tolerant of diversity because the organization said so.