Today’s world offers a plethora of opportunities for women. We live in an age where women can embrace every opportunity, gain admission to every institution of higher education, and find entry into every professional field, even travel to space. Women graduate at the top of their classes in legal, business, technology, and medical education. And yet, is it not ironical when we look to the top echelons of the business and corporate world, there are so few role models? Lack of opportunities for women, wage inequality and plain old sexism among others, are commonly ascribed for this sorry state of affairs. The term “glass ceiling” referring to the metaphoric impenetrable deterrents against advancement of women in the workplace was popularized …show more content…
A typical stereotype is that of a woman who is subservient to the dominant and providing male. When Taylor Swift was making her Music awards acceptance speech in 2009, it turned out to be an iconic pop disaster with Kanye West jumping up on stage, obnoxiously snatching her moment of glory and asserting his views . Therefore, it may be the case that the reason why women are typically underrepresented in senior positions is not due to lack of ability but rather due to the effect that stereotypes or unconscious biases have caused women themselves from time immemorial, to underestimate their true potential. Thus, by conforming to the stereotype of a leader being male and not female, women may consciously or unconsciously be sabotaging their chances of career success by creating their own murky glass ceiling. Stereotypes are only a part of the problem as unless an organization wholeheartedly supports a woman’s life journey (ex. maternity and child care) such that it does not hamper her future career progression (or men start to deliver babies themselves), women will always continue to be disadvantaged in the workplace, and the glass ceiling, will always remain in some form or the other. Given the size of the women in the labour force and the scarcity of leadership talent, utilization of their talents and skills is necessary not just from the micro-perspective of the company but from a country’s growth perspective as well. It is important to note that women who are not active in the workforce are still making investment decisions on behalf of the family and therefore ignoring the woman as a customer is a colossal mistake. More and more companies are recognizing this and have developed