Business Ethic Paper!!!
Maoxiaoying
draulans.pptxBusiness Ethics
The Glass Ceiling
What is the Glass Ceiling?
What is the Glass Ceiling?
A metaphor that uses the image of an invisible barrier to explain “why so few women can reach leading positions, why, compared to their male colleagues, they succeed less quickly in ascending the hierarchy of an organization or company, and why they are confronted with more stringent requirements for promotion” (66).
What is the Glass Ceiling?
Some statistics on women in leadership positions:
14.2% of the five highest leadership positions in S&P 500 companies were occupied by women in 2015 (CNN Money 2015).
Only 27 (5.4%) of these companies had a female CEO (CNN Money 2016).
21% of board seats in Fortune 500 companies were occupied by women in 2016. 22% of companies on Fortune 500 have only one female board member, and 4.8% have no female board members (Fortune 2016).
http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/24/investing/female-ceo-pipeline-leadership/
http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/29/investing/female-ceos-record-high/
http://fortune.com/2016/03/28/fortune-500-all-male-board-2016/
What is the Glass Ceiling?
One reason the small percentage of women in leadership positions is a problem is that it leads to tokenism.
What is the Glass Ceiling?
One reason the small percentage of women in leadership positions is a problem is that it leads to tokenism.
What this means is that rather than the presence of women changing corporate culture and practices, these women are isolated, stereotyped, and forced to assimilate into existing corporate culture and practices.
A “token” woman is more likely to be seen as representing all women, and is also more likely to be viewed as possessing stereotypical traits.
What makes up the Glass Ceiling?
The glass ceiling is not one thing, but is made up of many complex and intertwined factors including:
What makes up the Glass Ceiling?
The glass ceiling is not one thing, but is made up of many complex and intertwined factors including:
Prejudices of male colleagues (Ex. Stereotypes about women and their job performance)
Demands of full-time work that make it hard to balance family
Isolation of women from social circles and professional networks
Lack of female role models and mentors
Tokenism
Women’s self-perception and lack of confidence
People thinking the problem will take care of itself over time
Choices made by women (Ex. Pursuing part-time work, work-life balance, being critical of corporate cultures, prioritizing their partner’s careers over their own)
Organizational structure (Ex. Decision-making, recruitment, and promotion practices)
Organizational culture (Ex. Unwritten rules, expectations, and values)
What strategies help dismantle the Glass Ceiling?
What strategies help dismantle the Glass Ceiling?
Examining a business’ practices to see if they have different impacts on men and women, or are only considering one gender.
What strategies help dismantle the Glass Ceiling?
Examining a business’ practices to see if they have different impacts on men and women, or are only considering one gender.
Sufficient representation of women (at least 1/3) such that they are able to impact the business’ culture.
This representation should be achieved through a mainstream approach, rather than an affirmative action one.
An affirmative action approach aims to counteract the disadvantages that women face by hiring more women, but leaves the corporate culture intact.
A mainstream approach analyzes the business as a whole in order to look for “visible and invisible factors that block the upward mobility of certain groups of employees into all policy levels” (74). Increasing the presence of women in the company is taken as a concern for everyone in the company.
What strategies help dismantle the Glass Ceiling?
Examining a business’ practices to see if they have different impacts on men and women, or are only considering one gender.
Sufficient representation of women (at least 1/3) such that they are able to impact the business’ culture.
Changing a business’ culture– both the visible and invisible parts.
This involves changes to formal policies, working conditions, management styles, training and networking, etc.
Why should businesses work to dismantle the Glass Ceiling?
Why should businesses work to dismantle the Glass Ceiling?
Ultimately, Draulans argues that efforts to dismantle the glass ceiling must be grounded in the principle of justice. In other words, businesses should do it because it is the right and fair thing to do.
Why should businesses work to dismantle the Glass Ceiling?
Ultimately, Draulans argues that efforts to dismantle the glass ceiling must be grounded in the principle of justice. In other words, businesses should do it because it is the right and fair thing to do.
Doing it because “feminine” leadership styles are more effective and profitable risks either essentializing women and paying lip service to valuing these traits, or opening up the possibility of men adopting these leadership styles and there no longer being a need to promote women.
Discussion Question
1. Do you think Draulans is right that businesses have an obligation to promote more women to higher positions in the company because it is the just thing to do? Why or why not?
2. Draulans suggests that businesses should examine their culture to see if it is conducive to both male and female success, and change it if it is not. Do you agree that businesses should do this? Why or why not? What strategies (if any) do you think businesses should employ to shift their culture in this way?
