The “glass ceiling”, or the invisible barriers that prevent women from being promoted at work. Does this problem still exist today, in times of equality and appreciation of diversity?
It would have been nice to answer “no”. However, the facts are inexorable: managerial positions are still largely dominated by men. Despite this, Polish business is relatively eager to trust women: according to the “Polish business strong with women” report, women make up 34% of the top management in Poland. By comparison, in Australia the corresponding figure is 15%, and in Japan – 5%. However, only 8% of company presidents in our country are females. Where do such disproportions come from?
First and foremost, from the ever-present stereotypes.
The characteristics attributed to women: gentleness, emotionality, delicacy, contradict the image of a leader, who should be strong, firm, decisive, rational. It is not difficult to see that the ideal of a leader coincides with the stereotypical image of a man. In addition, even if a man and a woman in managerial positions behave similarly, their conduct is assessed differently. While a male manager who expects to follow his orders immediately is seen as effective, a female manager is seen as impatient. If, on the other hand, a man who admonishes his subordinates is described as firm, similar behaviour by a woman is considered aggressive.
Second, women need to do more
Research clearly shows that, in addition to behaviour, the performance of both genders is assessed differently. Male managers’ mistakes are treated with greater forbearance. Female managers, on the other hand, are judged more severely, and in addition they continuously need to prove their value. When a man reaches a high position, he is almost automatically perceived as a good leader. A woman occupying a high-level post must continue to reaffirm her position.
Third, the traditional allocation of roles
Society also places much higher expectations on women, which has an impact on their careers. Women are considered to be more family-oriented, and thus less available, and therefore not worth investing in. In fact, women themselves are under pressure to perform their family duties perfectly and often decide to interrupt their careers for the benefit of their children. Frequently, the work culture in the company does not take into account the fact that it is usually the woman who is responsible for organising the daily life of the family. For example, an important pre-Christmas meeting is not a problem for a man, but a woman has to fit it in with the many tasks involved in preparing Christmas celebrations at home.
Fourth: never good enough
Despite the undeniable external barriers, the “glass ceiling” is also created by the women themselves. First of all, they assess their own competences more severely. It is enough for a man to meet 60% of the criteria to decide that he is suitable for a given position. A woman, however, even if she meets 80% of the requirements, thinks she is not competent enough to apply for the job.
Fifth, women are more likely to share success and value themselves less
Men boast about their achievements and attribute them to their own skills, while women tend to attribute their successes to others. It is not uncommon to hear from them statements such as “It’s the result of teamwork,” “I got a lot of help from X,” “I was lucky.” For this reason, women often demand less pay than their male counterparts and less often ask for a raise.
How do you break the glass ceiling?
There’s no simple answer to this question. While social and cultural change is beyond the capabilities of an individual woman, she can work to remove barriers in her own head. First of all, they need to start by strengthening their self-confidence, appreciating their skills and avoiding overly high expectations. I don’t have to be perfect, it’s enough if I’m good. It is also worth using the experience of other people and surround oneself with female mentors, i.e. women who managed to overcome limitations, but also male mentors – to get to know the male point of view, and perhaps even to take over a positive approach to their own capabilities from their colleagues.
Wonder Women – they did it
Undoubtedly in Poland and in the world there is no shortage of examples of women who managed to break through the “glass ceiling”. Bożena Leśniewska, member of the Management Board of Orange Polska, emphasises the importance of independence in her career: “Independence means that I know what I want in life, I know my goals and values, and I have the courage to be myself regardless of changing circumstances”. The story of Anna Sieńko, who in 2009 became the first woman CEO of IBM Poland and since 2011 has also been CEO of IBM in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, shows how important it is to make supporting women a company policy. In IBM Poland, half of the employees are women, and Thomas J. Watson, one of the founders of the IT giant, promised women that in his company they would earn as much as men. Diversity simply pays off: studies show that companies employing workers of both sexes have revenues on average 15% higher than those that don not.
Author: Agata Karolina Lasota
