The glass ceiling is a term that has come to mean a barrier to women’s advancement in the workplace. Believe it or not, this quarter is celebrating its 30th birthday this year! The term was originated by diversity consultant Marilyn Loden in a 1978 presentation at the Women’s Action Alliance Conference, to “describe the invisible barriers to advancement still faced by many female managers.” Thirty years later, women are still banging their heads against the glass ceiling, whether they’re trying to climb the managerial ranks or gain a foothold in blue-collar professions.
It can be argued that the nomination of Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential candidate on the Republican ticket with John McCain is evidence that the glass ceiling is cracking. But she is the first female candidate on a national ticket since Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale’s vice-presidential partner in 1984. There has yet to be a woman on the ballot for the office of president of the United States, although Hillary Clinton made a historical race. her in the position this year. And while women have yet to reach the highest political office in the United States, they have made some inroads into the highest positions in the corporate world.
According to Fortune magazine, the number of female CEOs in the FORTUNE 1000 has increased from 19 in 2005 to 24 in 2008. Yet that is still only 2.4% of top corporate positions held by women. A large study (of 10,000 senior executives at nearly 1,000 companies) published by researchers at the Tuck School of Business and Loyola University concluded that the number of female CEOs likely won’t increase significantly until at least 2016, based on the number of women currently in the senior executive pipeline. The researchers found that at 48% of the largest US firms, there were no women in senior positions, and that women understood only a token presence at many of the other firms. The researchers project that the percentage of CEO positions held by women will increase from the 2000 level of 1.7% to 4.9% in 2010 and 6.2% in 2016.
If those projections hold, the number of women leading major corporations will still be quite low, even in another eight years! So you may be thinking, what does it mean to have women in top leadership positions and why does it matter?
In her book “The Female Advantage,” author Sally Helgesen describes the changes in the corporate world as we move from an industrial age to a technological age, and argues that women adapt particularly well to the type of corporate hierarchy necessary for fast-moving technological age. She describes this more modern type of hierarchy as a “web of inclusion,” as opposed to the old top-down authoritarian chain of command.
Imagine a network, with the leader at the center, reaching everyone through this “network of inclusion.” In a web hierarchy, the leader can create a more democratic and empowered organization that communicates faster and functions more effectively, compared to a top-down hierarchy. On the web, strong relationships are emphasized. Helgesen argues that women are particularly well suited to this type of corporate structure because of their “feminine principles,” which include an emphasis on building relationships, sharing information, treating others with respect, and thinking about the larger group, not only themselves.
As the corporate workplace continues to accelerate and globalize, and becomes increasingly multi-generational, the need for a different style of leadership will only become more important. Women are well prepared to play that role.
Koval Associates LLC
