Sample essay topic, essay writing: Women Executives - 934 words

Women ExecutivesEven though women constitute 40% of all executives and administrative posts(up from 24% in 1976), they are still restricted mostly to the middle and lowerpositions, and the senior levels of management are almost entirely male domains. A 1990 study of the top Fortune 500 companies by Mary Ann Von Glinow of theUniversity of Southern California, showed that 'women were only 2.6% ofcorporate officers (the vice presidential level up).' Of the Fortune Service500, only 4.3% of the corporate officers were women - even though women are 6l%of all service workers. Even more disturbing is that these numbers have 'shown little improvementin the 25 years that these statistics have been tracked'. (University ofMichigan, Korn/Ferry International). What this means is that at the present rateof increase, it will be 475 years - or not until 2466 before women reachequality with men in the executive suite. This scenario is not any better on corporate boards. Only 4.5% of theFortune 500 industrial directorships are held by women. On Fortune Service 500companies, 5.6% of corporate directors are women. The rate of increase is soslow that parity with men on corporate boards will not be achieved until theyear 2116 - or for 125 years. (The Feminist Majority Foundation News MediaPublishing Inc., 1995)In 1980, only one woman held the rank of CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Thiswoman came into the top management by inheriting the company from her father andhusband. In 1985, this executive was joined by a second woman who reached thetop - by founding the company she headed. Even though the newspapers are reporting that women have come a long wayand are successful in the corporate world, women are banging into a 'glassceiling' that is 'so subtle that it is transparent, yet so strong that itprevents women from moving up the corporate hierarchy'.

(Ann Morrison, TheFeminist Majority Foundation and News Media, Inc, 1955) Women can see the high-level corporate positions but are kept from reaching the top. According toMorrison (http//www. feminist. org/research/ewb glass. ntml.) and her colleagues, the glass ceiling is not simply a barrier for an individual, based on theperson/s inability to handle a higher-level job. Rather, the glass ceilingapplies to women as a group who are kept from advancing higher because they arewomen. Just as the overall labour market remains sharply segregated by sex, womenexecutives are concentrated into certain types of jobs - mostly staff andsupport jobs - and these offer little opportunity for getting to the top. Thehighest ranking women in most industries are in non-operating areas such aspersonnel, public relations. or, sometimes finance specialties that rarely leadto the most powerful top-management positions

It seems that women are shut outof jobs in the route that is taken by CEOs and presidents and even when they doget a line job it will more than likely not be in the significant part of thebusiness or the type of job that can stamp them as leaders. It seems to be that the biggest barrier to women in top management levelsis the bunch of boys sitting around a table making all the decisions. In otherwords when a decision has to be made concerning who should be promoted tomanagement, male corporate leaders are inclined to select people as much likethemselves as possible - so there is no astonishment that women are often noteven considered at promotion time. The guys at the top look at their formercolleagues and old school ties. Women executives are often left out of socialactivities because they do not fit into the 'boys club'. Even on a moretraditional level, women report there are 'certain kinds of meetings' they donot get invited to because they are not seen as policy makers. In a Wall Street Journal//Gallup study 80% of the executive women statedthey believe there were disadvantages to being a woman in the business world. They stated that men did not take them seriously, they have been mistaken for asecretary at business meetings, they have been prevented from moving up theladder because of male attitudes towards women and they believed they are paidless than men of equal ability. Many corporate environments tolerate sexualharassment which intimidates and demoralizes women executives. However, manywomen hesitate to speak out, fearing it will jeopardize their careers. In conclusion, many women have been discouraged from going to the top by aset of myths suggesting women are not suited for top management and that anyproblems are being solved gradually.

(E. g. conflicts with family and homeresponsibilities, women at the top are frequently single, divorced or have nochildren, proving how difficult it is to combine family and career, womenexecutives cost the corporation more because they must divide their attentionbetween career and family, women are not as serious about their careers, womenare not suited for top management because they are not aggressive enough andlack the self confidence required for the top jobs - to mention a few.) Thesemyths seem work to keep women in their place and to justify the lack ofprogress for women. Worse yet, these myths often place blame on women ratherthan on sex discrimination. Men in corporate management tend not to perceive discrimation as a realproblem, thereby making it virtually impossible to implement effective remedies. White men have ranked problems encountered by women executives as insignificantcompared to how women ranked them. Therefore, without constant pressure fromthe outside and strong legal remedies, the very real problems of race and sexdiscrimination in the executive suite may never be adequately addressed. Eventhough feminists have fought to establish and vigorously enforce guidelines andlaws prohibiting sex discrimination in employment, women feel they are a longway from equality in the ranks of American business. They feel that furthergains depend on getting more feminists into decision-making positions andcreating new strategies for change.

Research paper and essay writing, free essay topics, sample works Women Executives

• Executive Women: Substance Plus Style

The article «Executive Women: Substance Plus Style» deals with the issue of whether the «abilities and attitudes of male managers are different from those of female managers» and that these differences have been used to keep women out of managerial positions. Furthermore, it suggests that it has now become «fashionable» to state that these differences

• Executive Women: Substance Plus Style

The article "Executive Women: Substance Plus Style" deals with the issue of whether the "abilities and attitudes of male managers are different from those of female managers" and that these differences have been used to keep women out of managerial positions. Furthermore, it suggests that it has now become "fashionable" to state that these differences

• Executive Women: Substance Plus Style

The article "Executive Women: Substance Plus Style" deals with the issue of whether the "abilities and attitudes of male managers are different from those of female managers" and that these differences have been used to keep women out of managerial positions. Furthermore, it suggests that it has now become "fashionable" to state that these differences

• The Glass Cileing

“You’ve Come a Short Way, Baby!” Professor Diana Bilimoria hit it on the nail when she proclaimed, “Even when women do all the right things, and have all the right stuff, they continue to be blocked from the innermost circles of power” (Daily). The increasing number of working women with an education and experience in the

• The Glass Cileing

“You’ve Come a Short Way, Baby!” Professor Diana Bilimoria hit it on the nail when she proclaimed, “Even when women do all the right things, and have all the right stuff, they continue to be blocked from the innermost circles of power” (Daily). The increasing number of working women with an education and experience in the