7/14/2019 Glass ceiling in BEmL http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/glass-ceiling-in-beml 1/87 PROJECT REPORT ON GLASS CEILING EFFECT IN BEML Submitted by Nimisha.M.N (Reg No: 85211024) Under the Guidance of Dr. D.Mavoothu Associate Professor Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Master of Business Administration (Full Time) Cochin University of Science and Technology Kochi April 2013 SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The report is based on the glass ceiling phenomenon that impedes the advancement of talented women professionals into senior executive roles inside large corporations is widely recognized in society, studied in the management literature, taught in business schools, and tangibly felt by many women executives.
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I sincerely extend my gratitude to all who helped in completing this project successfully.
I solemnly express my sincere gratitude to Dr. D.Mavoothu for the guidance and valuable
comments I received throughout my project. I was greatly benefited by his support and
encouragement.
I am obliged to Dr.Sam Thomas, Project Coordinator in charge of the final project, who has
given me the opportunity for taking up this task.
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr.M.Bhasi, Director of School of managementstudies who has always been a great support to us in all our endeavors.
I express my heartfelt thanks to Mr.P.Dwarakanath (Chairman and Managing Director) for
giving me this opportunity to carry out my study.
I thank Mr. Syed Shoibbudin (HR officer, BEML Bangalore), my guide at the organization
whose guidance during the study has helped me a lot in understanding about the industry and
various aspects related to it.
Last, but not the least, I express my deep gratitude to all staff of BEML Bangalore complex
The phrase glass ceiling was first used in 1984 in an Adweek profile of Gay Bryant, who at
the time was the editor of Working Woman magazine. In that profile, she was quoted as
saying, “Women have reached a certain point-in the top of middle management and they're
stopping and getting stuck.” In 1985, the national chairwoman of the National Organization
for Women (NOW) used the phrase in an interview with United Press International, stating
that without the women's movement, women would have no chance of moving beyond the
glass ceiling. The very next year, in the March 24, 1986, edition of the Wall Street Journal,
the term was used by both Carol Hymowitz and Timothy Schellhardt (who are frequently
credited with first using the term in the media) in their article about the challenges faced by
women in the business world.
In a discussion of ascending the corporate ladder, the word ceiling implies that there is a
limit to how far someone can climb before he or she bumps up against a barrier of some
kind. To say that the ceiling is glass suggests that, although it is very real, it is transparent
and not obvious to the casual observer. It also implies that what is on the other side is both
visible yet inaccessible to those facing it. The term glass ceiling is most often applied in
business situations where women believe, either accurately or not, that it is nearly impossible
for the women to break through to that level. The Department of Labor took the concept
seriously in 1991 when it addressed the problem formally, stating that a glass ceiling is made
up of “artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified
individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.”
Senator Robert Dole introduced the Glass Ceiling Act as part of Title II of the Civil Rights
Act of 1991.
President George H. W. Bush signed the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and established a bipartisan Glass Ceiling Commission composed of twenty-one members. The commission
was tasked with forming recommendations on the issue for the president and leaders in the
corporate world. In 1991, Secretary of Labor Lynn Martin completed the Glass Ceiling
Initiative Report, which confirmed the existence of the invisible artificial barriers that
blocked women from advancing up the corporate ladder to management- and executive-level
positions. Robert Reich, chairperson of the Glass Ceiling Commission, stated that this
“ceiling” was a refutation of social justice for a large portion of the population. He also saw
it as a problem that has negatively affected American business by hindering some of the
most qualified applicants from important positions of power simply because of their race or
gender.
The report revealed that although women made up nearly 46% of the total workforce at thetime and earned more than half of all master's degrees, 95% of senior-level managers were
men and the earnings of female managers accounted for less than 70% of their male manager
counterparts. During the decade since the commission's report, things have improved
somewhat in that women managers now earn an average of 72% of their male colleagues'
salaries. After the Civil Rights Act of 1954 and the introduction of affirmative action during
the mid-1960s, legal barriers to their hiring and promotion were removed, yet their
representation in the higher echelons of business was a fraction of their overall presence in
the labor force. Some see this as proof of the existence of a split labor market in which
racial/ethnic minorities receive lower remuneration than do Whites and are unable to get
even entry-level positions in industries that have been long dominated by Whites, White
males in particular.
In 1990, the proportion of minorities in top management positions was less than 1%, and
their earnings lagged far behind even those of their White female colleagues. Although most
scholars of inequality agree that the concept of the glass ceiling refers to the lack of access to
the most highly paid corporate positions, many others use this term to describe gender or
race discrimination at all levels of the business world. This concept has been adapted to
address barriers to women in specific industries such as the stained glass ceiling to describe
the difficulty women have had in ascending to the highest levels of the ministry, the grass
ceiling when examining the dearth of women in agriculture-related industries, and the
political glass ceiling that bemoans the slow pace of women's advances in the political realm.
In the world of academia, the combined effects of a glass ceiling and a maternal wall are
thought to interact to hinder women's advancement in the ivory tower because of choices
made in relation to child-bearing and child-rearing responsibilities. Another variation is the
glass cliff, which refers to a woman in a position that may put her in the precarious position
of professional disaster if she fails. Whereas the aforementioned concepts refer to the
difficulties that women and minorities face in making inroads into the higher echelons of
male-dominated industries, another concept, the glass elevator or escalator, refers to the
relative ease and rapid advancement that men have in achieving promotions to management
in female dominated industries such as nursing and teaching.
The glass ceiling metaphor has often been used to describe invisible barriers ("glass")
through which women can see elite positions but cannot reach them ("ceiling"). These barriers prevent large numbers of women and ethnic minorities from obtaining and securing
the most powerful, prestigious, and highest-grossing jobs in the workforce Moreover, this
barrier can make many women feel as they are not worthy enough to have these high-
ranking positions, but also they feel as if their bosses do not take them seriously or actually
see them as potential candidates.
The word “ceiling” implies that there is a limit to how far someone can climb it. Along with
this implied barrier is the idea that it is glass, meaning that, while it is very real, it is
transparent and not obvious to the observer. The term glass ceiling is most often applied in
business situations in which women feel, either accurately or not, that men are deeply
entrenched in the upper echelons of power, and women, try as they might, find it nearly
impossible to break through. The Glass Ceiling refers to a metaphorical barrier blocking a
woman or minority who is in a position within a company to moving up in rank within a
business infrastructure despite their capabilities and credentials. Instead, these jobs, as many
argue, are given to men who may not be as qualified, as indicated by the vast disparity
between men and women in high-ranking jobs.
1.2INTRODUCTION TO GLASS CEILING
The definition "The Glass Ceiling" refers to an invisible barrier that limits the level to which
a woman or another member of a demographic minority can advance within the hierarchy in
an organization. The glass ceiling is "The unseen, yet unbreakable barrier that keeps womenfrom rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or
achievements. In most cases the limitations are not immediately apparent, moreover, is
normally an unwritten and unofficial policy. In 1991 The Glass Ceiling Commission was
established and they defined Glass Ceiling as "those artificial barriers based on attitudinal or
organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their
organization into management-level positions”. It can be Societal barriers, which include a
supply barrier related to educational opportunities and the level of job attainment for women
competing for the same jobs as there men counterparts.
There is also a "difference" barrier manifested through conscious and unconscious
stereotyping and bias, such as women should be secretaries or childcare givers etc. Ittranslates into a syndrome that people who do the hiring feel most comfortable "hiring
people who look like them, therefore if men are hiring they are most likely to hire men.
Stereotypes must be confronted with hard data because, if left undisputed, they continue to
become a reality in many industries and reinforce glass-ceiling barriers.
Governmental barriers include the collection and distribution of employment related data,
which make it difficult to establish the status of various groups at the managerial level. Also,
there continues to be inadequate reporting and propagation of information relevant to Glass
Ceiling issue. More importantly, there needs to be vigorous and consistent monitoring and
enforcement of laws and policies already in place to help prevent and encourage these
invisible barriers in the workplace to dissolve, not only by promoting equality in the upper
management positions obtained but to support and narrow the gap in income between men,
women and minorities.
Examples of obstacles include:
• Prejudice: Men are promoted more quickly than women with equivalent
qualifications, even in traditionally female settings such as nursing and education.
• Resistance to women’s leadership: People view successful female managers as
more deceitful, pushy, selfish, and abrasive than successful male managers.
• Leadership style issues: Many female leaders struggle to reconcile qualities people
prefer in women (compassion for others) with qualities people think leaders need to
succeed (assertion and control).
• Family demands: Women are still the ones who interrupt their careers to handle
work/family trade-offs. Overloaded, they lack time to engage in the social
networking essential to advancement.
"It's not that women are risk-averse; "Rather than waiting for external legislation, now is the
time for employers to set voluntary targets for female representation at board and senior
management level, and hold people accountable for meeting them. Business leaders must
take responsibility for building an effective talent pipeline, and make it a commercial
priority to proactively identify, develop and promote potential leaders of both sexes.”
"Outdated stereotypes about men and women's different roles in the workplace have an
insidious effect on our cultural attitudes about who should do which jobs” .The world of work has not caught up with the needs of modern families where both parents work, with
few senior positions offering flexibility around working hours – and it is still on the whole
women who require flexibility in order to manage childcare commitments, thus restricting
their career. Sexism, including women being passed over for top jobs, serves to further
reinforce the glass ceiling.
Societal Barriers that Affect the Glass Ceiling: There are two major Societal Barriers that
engender and reinforce a glass ceiling for women. They are:
• The Supply Barrier—Opportunity and Achievement
• The Difference Barrier—Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Bias
There are many different impediments placed upon women that make it difficult for them to
attain a higher work status. With these very negative effects on women and their self-esteem,
the glass ceiling has created an even larger problem than just in the work place. Most see the
glass ceiling as only being in the work place, which is where it originally was intended for, it
has spread to encompass the household and others as well. The barrier within the household
has been seen as the difficulty a woman has of getting out of the household and
accumulating a job. Not all women feel as though they are being suppressed in the
household and many women choose to be in the household in which case the glass ceiling
does not apply to them. The term only applies to those women that wish to be out in the
work field but are unable to be. Because the glass ceiling also limits the opportunities of
women in developing countries, the term has broadened and also become an issue around the
world.
As a general definition, however, we suggest that empowerment is a multi-dimensional
social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters
power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their
communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as important.
Empowerment is multidimensional, social, and a process. It is multidimensional in that it
occurs within sociological, psychological, economic, and other dimensions. Empowerment
also occurs at various levels, such as individual, group, and community. Empowerment, by
definition, is a social process, since it occurs in relationship to others. Empowerment is a
process that is similar to a path or journey, one that develops as we work through it. Other
aspects of empowerment may vary according to the specific on text and people involved, butthese remain constant. In addition, one important implication of this definition of
empowerment is that the individual and community are fundamentally connected.
Although many continue to insist that the glass ceiling is a real barrier for women
and minorities in accessing male-dominated positions in business, others challenge that
assertion. They say that the glass ceiling continues to exist primarily because of choices
made by women regarding the time they spend on their families that, in the end, limits the
time they need to advance in their careers. The cumulative effect of time off for child
bearing and child rearing is blamed for women facing lower wages and delayed
advancement to the highest positions. Contrary to claims of continuing inequality or
discrimination, critics of the glass ceiling concept place the blame for the under
representation of women in particular, and of minorities by association, on the individuals
themselves and on considerations other than structural or institutional inequality.
Nevertheless, industries such as the investment world have suffered criticism about
past sexism, with legal judgments levied against Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch for
practices deemed to be discriminatory. Recently, the investment industry has made inroads
into the recruitment and training of women for top positions in their firms to address their
past misdeeds. Changes are slow, however; although women currently represent 33% of the
best in the bank analyst classes of business schools, only 25% of newly hired associates in
this same industry are women. Only 14% of the top executives in the banking industry are
women, and in 2005 one report showed that women make 77 cents for every dollar men
make. However, many say that improvement, no matter how small, shows that there are
cracks developing in the glass ceiling.
1.3 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDIES:
Over the last decade, women in India have made great progress obtaining the education and
workforce experience levels almost equal to that of men .Despite the fact that women
possess the required knowledge, skills, competencies, training and experiences to perform
effectively and efficiently in construction industry, they experience entry and career
advancement barriers. The barriers, range from gender stereotyping to non-involvement in
informal and formal industry related networks. Women may also lack same gender role
models in executive positions, and women’s suitability for top leadership roles may be
questioned. The prevalence of glass ceiling barriers is widespread. Even women whowithstand the stereotyping to overcome vertical mobility obstacles are likely to encounter
structural barriers in the form of glass walls within the organization. The Old Boy’s Club
mindset still exists and there is reluctance to give a woman leadership opportunities similar
to a man.
1.4 NEED OF THE STUDY
The “glass ceiling” has consequences not only for the women themselves, but also for the
organizations they work for their reputations and their ability to maximize their productivity
and growth. Companies and societies cannot afford to waste the full potential of half of their
workforce and undermine their competitiveness. Rather, they need to capitalize upon the
skills of women, valuing and encouraging women’s professional growth and development.
Moreover, they must create a business culture that supports innovation and high
performance, which requires many different people with diverse talents and thinking styles.
1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:
The aim of the study is to identify the solid and resistant “glass ceiling that Indian women‟
face during their career paths with special reference to BEML.
The key objectives of the study are:
• Identify the factors that create barriers for career growth for women and see
whether they are gender specific.
• To reveal why there are so few women in top positions when there are quite many
The development and growth of a country largely depends on industrialization of its
economy. India is basically an agriculture based country. It’s after the independence; India
has given importance to the growth of industrial development through five year planning
programs. Government has taken a leading march to up to leave the movement of
industrialization. The incorporation of the industry was during the industry was during the
first 5 year plan when India was economically weak. The main objective of setting up of
industries was to manufacture heavy earth moving equipment’s, rail coaches, heavy duty
trucks, defense products etc. Industry refers to manufacturing activity concerned with
conversion of raw material in to semi-finished goods. Industry which consists of a group of a
similar company i.e. the group of rail coach manufacturing and earth moving equipment’scompanies are considered as a coach manufacturing and earth moving equipment’s
industries respectively.
Tremendous development has taken place in science and technology which has mechanized
every work in every field. Manually carried out work is productive and time consuming.
Thus to increase efficiency and productive, mechanical equipment came in to existence and
almost every field is mechanized. Earth moving equipment’s are the industry which is a
producer of a capital goods which means that the products of the industry that are used byother industrial undertakings for future production. Construction industries refer for those
companies which concerned with the creation of infrastructure necessary for the economic
development. In other words they refer to those activities which are concerned with
constructions of building; roads, railway lines .dams, canals etc. are helps in movement of
men machines. Growth of construction industry reflects as on index of nations development
as well as world.
Just after independence, when the need for coaching stock was very acute, HAL entered in to
a deal to produce all steel coaching stock for IR. India’s defence industrial capacity lies in
three main classes of enterprises; the ordnance factories, the defense public sector
undertakings and too much lesser extent, selected civilian public sector undertakings, and to
a much lesser extent, selected civilian public and private sector manufacturing
establishments. There are eight publicly owned DPSUs.
Indian railways are the largest employers according to the railway budget 2007.The earth
moving and rail coach manufacturing industries has adopted certain rules and regulations
that have to be followed by every individual working in the organization. Legislations thegovernment has passed on order to ensure that workers in the rail coach manufacturing
industry are not exploited under sufficiently recommended for their services. The legal
remedies for any worker stems up from the following basic legislations:
• The factories Act, 1948
• The minimum wages Act, 1948
• The industrial disputes Act, 1947
• The employee state insurance Act, 1948• The maternity benefit Act 1961
India’s heavy moving equipment and spare parts manufacture various facilities ranging from
mini version to giants hence provide stiff competition.
2.1.2 COMPETITORS:
• ALSTON FRANCE
• CAF SPAN• CRING CHUNG CHINA
• BAMBARDIAN
• CAVARKI JAPAN
• SIEMANS GERMANY
2.1.3 EMERGING TRENDS:
Currently the new technology focuses on several new standard projects which involve
addition of electronic devices and software to the machine. There are a number of research
laboratories, test organizations and notified bodies which are essential in every industry. In
addition government health and safety agencies participate in the standard development
criteria. A separate quality department spearheads the thrust towards Total Quality
Management.
All the manufacturing units of the company have been certified for ISO 9001-2000 Quality
Management System standards. Well established vendor base is a key strength of BEML.Vendor assessment and development is a key component of the company’s strategy
for achieving total quality. Concept of 5S, Kaizen and quality circles are participated at grass
root level.BEML is actively pursuing “Six Sigma” methodologies to achieve breakthrough in
Process /product improvements. In 2006,it has launched company –wide “Six Sigma”
movement and the initiative has gained momentum with many on-going projects progressing
well and completed projects being implemented successfully.
‘Quality Function Deployment’ is actively pursued in the organization .Cross functional
teams routinely visit customer sites to capture “voice of customer”.BEML actively promotes
small group activities to encourage and enhance ‘Quality culture’ at all levels. The small
group activity teams regularly participate in regional /national/international level
competition and have achieved recognition as meritorious performers. It is our proud
privilege to mention that our QC teams have raised the BEML flag high in the international
arena by winning.
2.2.2 STRATEGIC BUSINESS UNITS
Mining & construction:
BEML offers a comprehensive and diverse range of mining machinery for both opencast and
underground mines.BEML produces machines such as electric rope Shovels, hydraulic
In recent years, BEML has forayed in to high-tech Metro trains deployed for intra-city
commuting. BEML is expanding its infrastructure to meet the grater needs of metro projects
coming up in the country. Also ,BEML supplies equipment to Indian Railways whichinclude integral rail coaches ,overhead electric inspection cars, postal vans,AC/DC electric
A nationwide network of 10 regional offices and 15 district offices provides customers with
immediate access to BEML’s wide range of products and services. Marketing activities
include field operations and intensive training of customer personnel in operation andmaintenance of equipment. Additionally, BEML offers application engineering services and
fleet optimization solutions
2.2.6 CUSTOMER SERVICES
BEML service center and spare parts depots provide total equipment care and rehabilitation
services. Towards achieving maximum customer’s satisfaction, the company has established
BEML NET –a sactom network-with a view to streamline spares supplies. In taking service
to the doorsteps of customer”.BEML site engineers ensure higher availability of machines
through prompt after sales service.BEML also undertakes to service machine all its lifetime.
2.2.7 EXPORTS
BEML machines reach over 30 countries worldwide, covering Asia Africa, Europe, Latin
America and the Middle East.BEML is an export house with star exporter status. Its strength
in handling large -scale trading and counter-trade have helped it push exports of engineering
goods and non-military items.
2.2.8 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
During the fiscal year 2011-2012 BEML recorded Rs 22,126 million in sales, Rs 22,442
millions in production and Rs 205 millions in exports.
2.2.9 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS
In pursuit of excellence BEML is a recipient of a corporate excellence award from the Govt.
of India apart from recognition and safety, Quality and import substitution. The company
bagged the following awards during the year under view.
A) All India Trophy for export performance for the fiscal year
B) Safety awards :
Bangalore complex---------14 times
Mysore complex-------------6 times
Engine division--------------1 time
BEML is bow moving ahead for growth beyond Rs.10, 000 million.
BEML –Bangalore complex has been awarded the ISO 9000 certificate on 26th January 1994
by the Bureau Verities Quality International (B.V.Q) For: Manufacture, erection/installation
design and servicing of railway coaches, powered and unpowered track laying and track maintenance equipment. Heavy duty all terrain trucks together with their variants and heavy
duty trailers up to 50 tones capacity. Earth excraving, loading and moving equipment’s KGF
Complex (Hydraulics, power line divisions and Earth movers Division) and Mysore complex
(Equipment Division has been awarded ISO 9000) Certificate.
2.2.11 PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPANY:
The company has earned profit from the very first year of its operation and has paid dividend
continuously from the fourth year of its operation to all its shareholders. In the year 2010, a
BEML’s vision is to become a market leader, as a diversified company supplying products
and services to Mining and Construction, Railway and Metro and defence services and
emerge as an international player.
BEML views quality improvement as a business strategy and hence remains proactive in the
area of product and service quality. At BEML, a corporate quality policy emphasizing Total
Quality Management ensures that quality system adopted results in products, services and
processes that meet stringent standards and requisite performance criteria .They adopt
advanced technology to beat its competitors and to produce the products of expected targets.
BEML has formed many strategic alliances and technical collaboration for transfer of technology. It has established state-of-the-art Research and development and Technology
Division. These efforts have been helped to BEML to develop value added products for
domestic as well as international markets.
One of the most important strategies adopted by BEML is the “Elimination of Waste” waste
can be eliminated in many ways, which include
• Effective designing
• Proper planning
• Production planning
A major part of the waste can be eliminated during production. Proper planning during
production processes cannot eliminate waste completely but can minimize it to a large
extent. For Example: When a major component of the small product, which can minimize
the waste to a large extent it cannot be eliminated completely
SYSTEM:
Identifying, understanding and managing process as a system contributes to the organization
effectiveness and efficiency achieving its objectives. BEML has continuously strived to
maintain strong and stable systems to build a strong, committed and motivated workforce.
The organization is managing its entire operations through SAP. The ERP has helped
organization to increase control, reduce and increase efficiency.
Skills are needed to carry on out the company’s. Every individual pose individuals skills or
capacity within which he can carry out his functions effectively. So it is the work of the
organization to identify these potential and use them effectively. While performing any job,
there are basically two types of skill that comes into play is hard skills and soft skills. Hard
skills are the technical skills that an employee must possess to do the job effectively. For
instance, the hard skills for an engineer working in technology department of BEML would
consist of engineering skills, computer aided design skills and so on. Soft skills is a
sociological term relating to a person’s “EQ”(Emotional Intelligence Quotient),the cluster of
personality traits ,social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, andoptimism that characterize relationships with other people. The company organizes trainings
in a continuous basis for the enhancement of the professional skills of its employees. The
organization’s employee driven policy provides employees ample opportunities for their
skill enhancement.
The model is based on the theory that for an organization to
perform well, these seven elements need to be aligned and mutually reinforcing .So, the
Threats are the obstacles, which the company faces by the external environmental in its
process of the development .The threats in the way of BEML are:
• Permitting private sector for manufacturing and supplying defence requirements.
• Increased competition in mining segment due to entry of MNC’s to Indian market.
• Attrition of trained manpower.
BEML is in corporate with hi-tech manufacturing facilities
with sophisticated CNC machines and welding robots. It has research and developmentcenter about Rs.300 million.BEML is the premier ISO 9000 company in India and the
second largest manufacturer of earth equipment in Asia. BEML is the first to introduce the
manufacture of metro coaches in India.BEML is compatible to produce indigenized metro
The term ‘glass ceiling’ refers to the transparent but real and strong barrier which prevents
women from moving up in the management hierarchy in an organization (Morrison &
Glinow, 1990). The minority of women in senior management has led many researchers to
investigate whether glass ceiling barriers such as sexual discrimination, gender wage gap,
gender stereotype, harassment and lack of family-friendly workplace policies in the
organizations are at play and how these barriers affect the performance of female employees
in the organizations (Jeavons &Sevastos, 2002).The existence of glass ceiling in different
organizations, cultures and time span has been confirmed by many researchers. In 1997,
Tokunaga & Graham looked at employees in the technical division at one large Fortune 500
corporation and found that female engineers could not advance as far up the corporate
hierarchy as did the male engineers, thereby providing evidence for the existence of a “glass
ceiling” against women. A research conducted by Veale &Gold (1998) in Metropolitan
District Council situated in Yorkshire, UK also confirmed that a glass ceiling did exist
within the council and this inhibited women’s progression into senior management. This
existence of a strong glass ceiling effect prevents women to progress in the organizations. A
study controlled for previous job experience, education, age, tenure, initial job level andgender showed that even levels of promotions existed for men and women. However,
qualitative data showed that women were employed by the organization at a level that was
lower than their qualifications, or lower than men doing the same job. Therefore, even with
equal rates of promotion, women will not progress as far as men (Jeavons & Sevastos,
2002).There a number of factors that keeps the glass ceiling in effect. One of them is the
gender stereotype. Over the last three decades, Schein (2007) found that gender stereotyping
of the managerial position has continued to be the major barrier to women’s progress inmanagement, worldwide. He also shown that on international level, the view of women as
less likely than men to possess requisite management characteristics is a commonly held
belief among male management students in the USA, the UK, Germany, China and Japan.
Apart from gender stereotyping, gender wage gap also plays its role in the organizations.
Across a sample of eleven European Union countries in 1995–2001 Booth & Bryan (2007)
found that women were paid less than men and this wage gap typically widened toward the
top of the wage distribution (the “glass ceiling” effect), and in a few cases it also widened at
the bottom (the “sticky floor” effect). In recent studies of promotion to partner process,
Kumra & Vinnicombe(2008) concluded that the disadvantages women face in organizations
in relation to the promotion to partner process arise from a combination of firm-based and
societal based factors. Discussing the relationship between discrimination, harassment andglass ceiling (Bell, McLaughlin & Sequeira, 2002), glass ceiling was referred as one of the
form of sex discrimination. In the study it was concluded that because all three have some
common antecedents, steps to reduce one of them will likely affect the others. Apart from
that they suggested that measures designed to increase numbers of women in higher level
positions will reduce sexual harassment. As a result of this glass ceiling there is an
inclination of women to entrepreneurship as a result of barriers to women’s advancements in
corporation (Mattis, 2004). Mattis showed that lack of flexibility continued to be a feature of
the corporate culture that lead to the attrition of high potential women and contributed to the
dramatic increase in entrepreneurship among women in the US.
Glass ceiling affects the performance of women at managerial posts. Some of the
“masculine” organizational barriers that severely hinder women’s ability to be effective in
their role as strategic decision makers include reluctance of male subordinates towards
female managers; isolation by male colleagues; exclusion from male-dominated informal
networks and the lack of mentorship (Okanlawon, 1994). Exploration of a model of decision
making (Large & Saunders,1995) explains how a combination of both individual choices
(employees’ own perceptions, requirements and priorities like family, social life) and
organizational blockages (organizational structure, policies and culture) maintains the glass
ceiling. Gender related attributes also play their role. An appropriate theoretical foundation
for explaining differences between male and female service providers originates in the
sociology literature and is referred to as feminist theory. This theory proffers two
perspectives regarding gender-related differences in performance. One argues that there are a
wide variety of issues that are impacted by society’s attitudes towards women (Hooks,
2000). These attitudes are based in the history and institutional structure of society. As a
result, women are treated differently than men, so that the performance of businesses owned
by women suffers. Another stream of literature argues that there are innate differences
between male and female approaches to issues. These differences lead women to take
different actions than males in similar situations (Buttner,2001; Fletcher, 1998).There is an
alternative theoretical perspective that would not accept the arguments advanced by feminist
theory. The foundation for most of this research is the rational economic model (Ferber &
Nelson, 1993). This theory argues that individuals make rational economic choices and seek
to maximize economic benefit to themselves or the firm. Most of these models assume that
customers are economically rational and will make their choices based on the benefits gainedfrom the transaction, and not the gender of the service provider. Prior research on whether
gender as an impact on the financial performance of professional service providers has not
provided clear insights on whether feminist theory or the rational economic model is more
valid. Some researchers find that women achieve lower financial performance than men
Well-structured questionnaire was developed for conducting the study. Questionnaire had
two sections. First section contained questions regarding demographic profile of respondents
while second section contained a list of 16 statements pertaining to various facets of Glassceiling. One open ended question was also there. The attributes and statements were
collected from literature review. Respondents have to choose one parameter of each
statement depending on whether respondents feel that statement “Strongly Agree (score 1)”,
“Neutral (score 3)” or “Strongly Disagree (score 5)”. Thus lower mean score implies that
respondents favor that particular statement.
Data collection which is the most important and interesting part of the research was the most
arduous as well. While majority of respondents were cooperative, some of them were
reluctant. A few persons directly refused that they are too busy to fill up the questionnaires.
Many respondents misplaced the questionnaires and second copy was given. A few
respondents denied to fill up said that the questionnaires asked for personal information.
Many respondents omit their names and designations in the questionnaires.
The major limitation of the study was that it was mainly done with the aid of a questionnaire,
so there are possibilities for the respondents to give fake answers and at occasions
respondents may remain non-responsive to certain questions.
Questionnaire is the main tool used for collecting primary data. Other methods such as direct
interview with middle and top-level managers were also employed for collection of primary
data.
The target groups interviewed were:
Women Managers at two levels –Middle and senior level were interviewed to get
information on corporate policies, whether they are conducive or obstructive for career
growth and on the challenges and opportunities they are facing. Interactions with Managers
were held to find out the existing policy measures, wage structure and welfare measures
available for female mangers. The women managers were contacted and approached
personally to fill up the questionnaires .Data collection through questionnaires and interview
After the preparation of data, which included the processes of editing, coding and tabulation;
statistical procedure was applied. There are two major categories of statistical procedure:
Descriptive Statistics and Inferential Statistics. Former type of the statistics procedure is
used to describe the data and latter type of the statistics is used to analyze the data and for
making decisions or inferences about phenomena represented by data. The data collected
was analyzed by using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis tools. The collected
quantitative statistical information has been processed through different software like SPSS
and Microsoft Excel.
5.1 Frequency Distribution:
First task after coding the data is to construct frequency distribution to examine the patternof the response to each of the independent and dependent variables of the research. This
frequency distribution of the single variable is known as “univariate frequency distribution”.
In this research frequency distribution of the variables gender, domicile, marital status,
education, age etc. was constructed to examine the description of the number of respondents.
5.2 Percentage Distribution:
Frequencies expressed in comparable numbers are called proportions or percentages.Proportions are calculated as f / N, where f is the frequency of the category and N is the total
number of the responses. Percentages are expressed as f / N * 100. In this research,
percentage distribution of males, females, married, unmarried, widow, divorced etc. are
calculated to reflect their scores, or with many low scores and few high scores; with many
scores concentrated in the middle of the distribution.
Correlation analysis is concerned with providing a statistical measure of the strength of any
relationship between variables. A positive correlation exists where the high values of one
variable are associated with the high values of the other variable(s). A 'negative correlation'
means association of high values of one with the low values of the other(s). Correlation can
vary from +1 to -1. Values close to +1 indicate a high-degree of positive correlation, and
values close to -1 indicate a high degree of negative correlation.
The collected data was analyzed by using both quantitative and qualitative tools and the
statistical information has been processed through different software's like SPSS and
Microsoft Excel.
• The co-relation between Gender stereotype and under representation of women in
managerial level is .64396
• The co-relation between Good old boy Networking in the organization and increase
in number of women in top level management is -0.122
In order to test the formulated hypotheses, statistical analysis of the responses of thequestionnaires was done. The reliability of the four scales is given below:
Reliability of Cooperation among colleagues
Coefficient of CAC for the Main
Study
30
Scale No. of items 10
Alpha coefficient CAC 0.634
Table (CAC) scale Table 1 Alpha Reliability
Table 1 shows the alpha reliability (r=0.634) for the CAC scale. The results in table 1show
Table 2 shows the alpha reliability (r=0.636) for the SRS scale. The results in table 2 show
that scale has satisfactory reliability.
Perception about female managers:
Gender Mean N SD
Male 2.67 10 .83
Female 3.51 20 .51
Table 3. Perception about female managers:
The male respondents do not think that female managers have to be more competent than
males and behave in a typically ‘masculine way’ in order to be noticed and promoted
(2.67).However female respondents think that they are required to be more competent in
order to be taken seriously (3.39).
3.3.2 KSA ANALYSIS (Knowledge Skill and ability analysis)
KNOWLEDGE ANALYSIS:
• Several respondents indicated that they are out of the political environment of the
office, for which they do not have access to certain information such as who is the power-Centre in office politics. They are not in the loop of the organization's
informal structure which is generally the men’s club.
• Women are said to be more job-focused than career-focused and are often not aware
of the strategic importance of the decisions they make related to their careers.
Most women are sticking with the organization just because of job security. It deals with the
typecasting like women are said to be more job-focused than career-focused and are oftennot aware of the strategic importance of the decisions they make related to their careers.
STRATEGIES THAT CAN USE TO SMASH THE GLASS CEILING:
1. Create an adaptable strategic plan for success : Do not sit passively waiting to be
noticed, or for opportunities to drop in your lap. Be proactive in seeking out opportunities for
training, work on high-profile projects, assignments and serving on committees.
2. Stay visible by promoting yourself : Raise the visibility and showcase the knowledge by
writing articles, serving on high profile boards and committees, having name submitted for
awards, and seeking out speaking opportunities. Enhance the impact of the image building
efforts by keeping the organization’s intranet and Internet managers, in-house publication
editor, diversity council, and public relations department informed about the achievements,
so that they can get the word out.
3. Apply problem-solving skills: Dwelling on the problem and how upsetting it is will only
serve to pull you down. It will also have a negative impact on the performance, all
interactions with others and one’s outlook as a whole. Whatever workplace bias problems
you encounter, put your past away so that you can address the immediate issue in a calm and
rational manner.
4. Develop a plan for how to deal with discrimination in the workplace: When faced
with discrimination, evaluate the situation and use it as a learning experience on how things
work in the company. Develop a plan for how to deal with it successfully in the future and
incorporate it into the strategic plan for success.
5. Be aware of obstacles you could face if you are fast-tracked: While being fast-tracked
is an honor and a great career opportunity, be aware and prepared for possible backlashes.
One could also encounter resentment and resistance from other employees that feel you
obtained this honor unfairly. Another consequence is that they sometimes get excluded fromthe informal networks. One can overcome these obstacles by working throughout the career
to be noticed for the achievements and making connections to those in power, so people will
see one being fast-tracked as a result of those achievements and your connections, not
affirmative action.
6. Understand the importance of identify and culture in success: Learn how to blend the
identity, culture and value systems with the realities of the workplace.
13. Use documentation to obtain the rewards you deserve: When completing projects and
other assignments, seek out via email your superiors’ feedback, inquire about areas that they
think you need improvement. Apply those suggestions in future efforts and let superiors
know that you have done so. Save copies of this feedback and make sure you have a copy athome, in case you are let go suddenly. When new positions, projects and performance
reviews arise and you feel that the assessment of you is unfair, ask for a meeting to discuss
your growth and development in the company and use this documentation of their praise and
official documents that track your performance to explain in a non-confrontational way why
you feel that you deserve more. Keep in mind, that most bias in corporate is unconscious, so
it is important to not accuse them of bias when you meet. However, it is crucial that you
point out how they have praised you for the work that you have done in the past. This will
enable managers be able to reassess with more accuracy and correct any unconscious acts of
bias. Cultivating this feedback, not only protects you against negative performance reviews
and being overlooked for assignments, but also ensures that your superiors are aware of your
achievements.
14. Actively seeking out opportunities for training and education: Pursue educational
opportunities to help you learn and develop the right profile of an executive. Constantly
work to develop your communication, self-management and decision-making skills, as they
are critical to you climbing the corporate ladder.
15. Do work that you enjoy: Pick work that you really enjoy and jobs in companies with
cultures that compliment your strengths and personality traits to make it easier for you to
endure the possible isolation, bias, prejudice and other obstacles that you might encounter.
4.2 SUGGESTIONS:
• Personal Goal Setting: Set Objectives to Align Competencies with Top
Management is very important. Every individual is responsible for determining their
own career direction.
• Let your superior know that you want to work toward a higher-level position.
• Difficulty with child care arrangements was a major workplace issue. Companies
should provide facilities like crèches to enable women to give their best in their
profession.
• Organization can help women by giving integrated package of measures for
supporting women at work and by framing family-friendly policies (including
flexible working hours, parental leave for women, child care facilities, etc.).
• Government should compel public organizations to prepare annual reports regarding
their human resource development. In that report they show how many male and
female employees were appointed in the last year, what is the proportion of male and
female employees in their total employment, trainings were given in which
proportion to their male and female employees, how much percentage of female
employees were given any kind of assignments and how many employees (males andfemales) were promoted. Such report must be submitted with the committee via
ministry of women development. Where they scrutinize the data and find whether
any gender discrimination has occurred.
• Reverse mentoring of board: Often the interactions of board members with female
executives are very limited, and so they may be unaware of how gendered the
organization feels to women, and how that leads to negative career consequences that
impact the female talent pool. But this can be addressed by reverse mentoring, where
directors are mentored by some of the talented women at the threshold to senior
positions, so that the leadership team understands better the culture of the
organization. This is working very successfully in some major corporations.
• Companies should be more sensitive to women situations and need as women
• Management must learn to recognize and appreciate gender differences as positive
qualities which can serve as an asset for the organization. They must lose their
preoccupation with old male-oriented procedures. For example, instead of meeting
over drinks, meet for breakfast or as a group. Males and females differ in their communicative approaches. Therefore, permit each individual to talk through a
situation in their own way, at their own pace.
• Organization can incorporate mentoring programs for women like Sensitization
programs, Corporate Mentoring Programs and specific career skills Programs on
Professional Networking, Time Management and developing business strategies.
Organizations can hold managers acceptable for initiatives by rewarding only those
who successfully meet the goals of the program.
• Organization can provide forums for women to address issues affecting them by
establishing women development cell and can encourage women cell activities by
giving empowering women awards.
• Rather than waiting for external legislation, now is the time for employers to set
voluntary targets for female representation at board and senior management level,
and hold people accountable for meeting them. Business leaders must take
responsibility for building an effective talent pipeline, and make it a commercial
priority to proactively identify, develop and promote potential leaders of both sexes.
• Companies should be transparent about their policies relating to employment,
promotion and training. Promotion should not be linked to transfer; Transfer should
be need based.
• Companies should orient their recruitment policies to recruit equal number of male
and female in the entry level in order to bring in gender diversity and inclusiveness.
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American political scientists. The Journal of Negro Education, 66(2), 159-171.
• Burbridge, L. C. (1994). The glass ceiling in different sectors of the economy: Differences
between government, non-profit, and for-profit organizations. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley
College, Center for Research on Women.
• Chliwniak, L. (1997). Higher education leadership: Analyzing the gender gap. Washington,
D.C: The George Washington University.
• Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. (1995a). Good for business: Making full use of the
nation’s human capital. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor.
• Federal Glass Ceiling Commission (1995b). A solid investment: Making full use of the
nation’s human capital. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor. Frankforter, S. A.
(1996).
• The progression of women beyond the glass ceiling. Journal of Social Behavior and
Personality, 11, 121-132.
• Jacobs, J. A. (1992). Women’s entry into management: Trends in earnings, authority, and
values among salaried managers. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37(2), 282-301.
• Johnson, W.B., & Packer, A.E. (1987). Workforce 2000: Work and workers for the 21st
century.
• Johnsrud, L. K. (1991). Administrative promotion: The power of gender. The Journal of
Higher Education, 62(2), 119-149.
• Johnsrud, L. K., & Heck, R. H. (1994). Administrative promotion within a university: Thecumulative impact of gender. The Journal of Higher Education, 65(1), 23-44.
• Martin, L. (1991). A report on the glass ceiling commission. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Labor.
• Martin, L. (1992). Pipelines of progress - A status report on the glass ceiling. Washington,
5. Corporate ladder is a "sticky Ladder” for women.
A) Strongly agree B) Agree C) No opinion D) Disagree E) Strongly Disagree
6. Cultural expectations can affect women's roles in society.
A) Strongly agree B) Agree C) No opinion D) Disagree E) Strongly Disagree
7. The under-representation of women in management positions isn't due to the lack of
careful career planning by women.
A) Strongly agree B) Agree C) No opinion D) Disagree E) Strongly Disagree
8. Good old boy networks in the organization limits women opportunities for promotions to
senior positions.
A) Strongly agree B) Agree C) No opinion D) Disagree E) Strongly Disagree
9. In my company the number of women penetrating the hierarchy and achieving senior
positions is steadily rising.
A) Strongly agree B) Agree C) No opinion D) Disagree E) Strongly Disagree
10. My organization structure and practices favor male employees.
A) Strongly agree B) Agree C) No opinion D) Disagree E) Strongly Disagree
11.In my organization ,anti-discrimination /affirmative action regulations are viewed as a
mandated inconvenience.
A) Strongly agree B) Agree C) No opinion D) Disagree E) Strongly Disagree
12. Does the organization have child-care facilities (crèche)? Yes ( ) No ( )
13. Is there a company day care on site? Yes ( ) No ( )
14. Does the company take special measures to recruit women? Yes ( ) No ( )
15. Does the company allows flexi time? Yes ( ) No ( )16. What is your personal experience in society (regarding glass ceiling) if any? Please feelfree to use this space for any further comments you might like to make.