Managers' Beliefs about the Glass Ceiling: Interpersonal and Organizational Factors

Abstract

The glass ceiling refers to the difficulty of women trying to be promoted into the top management levels. The present study examined managers' potential explanations, implicit or explicit, for why women rarely reach the top hierarchical levels in their own organization. Among 685 managers at a large Midwestern insurance company, a model was supported in which beliefs about interpersonal and situational variables in the organization were related to the perception that men and women were treated differently overall, which, in tum, was related to the belief that a glass ceiling existed. The model was not different for male and female managers, but women tended to perceive that each element of the model existed to a greater extent than men did.Women have a disproportionately low presence in top levels of management, and the term "glass ceiling" has been often used to describe this phenomenon in the past. Hillary Clinton, while withdrawing from the 2008 race for U.S. president, used the term, arguing that the glass ceiling regarding the presidency had at least been cracked (Lochhead, 2008). Even with the inroads women have made into management (Joy, 2008), the glass ceiling phenomenon has not been eliminated. With increasing awareness of the glass ceiling in business, it is important to know how managers see it. Managers are the people most directly involved with the glass ceiling; They affect it through their personnelrelated decisions and they are affected by it, especially the women managers whose own careers are directly affected. The present study examines beliefs that managers have about the presence of a glass ceiling and the interpersonal and situational factors that may influence it.

Using Critical Interpretive Lenses to Examine Glass Ceiling Effects Through Qualitative Research

“…The breadth of their reports characterized the glass ceiling as an “unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements” (Cotter, Hermsen, Ovadia, & Vanneman, , p. 656). In an effort to address those who were skeptical of the existence of the glass ceiling and its effects, Elacqua, Beehr, Hansen, & Webster () conducted a study that examined female managers’ perceptions of workplace advancement barriers. They concluded that interpersonal and situational factors—namely, the extent to which managers serve as mentors, the prominence of an “old boys’ network,” and potential connections with organizational decision makers—not only contributed to employees’ views about the persistence of the glass ceiling but also affected whether or not individuals were promoted in the organization.…”

“…Moreover, Elacqua and others () argued that mentorship—or the lack thereof—played a sizeable role in employees’ perceptions of differential treatment. According to their findings, women are less likely to excel in their careers because they have fewer “mentors, informal networks, influential colleagues, role models, and stretch assignments” (p. 286).…”

“…The relative lack of valuable mentoring relationships among women employees is exacerbated by the tendency for people to prefer mentoring relationships with others of the same gender. Additionally, the existence of an “old boys’ network” and the associated preferential treatment that often arises from relationships with powerful decision makers presents another significant obstacle for women, who are less likely to establish these important links to their more visible male counterparts (Elacqua et al., ).…”

“…With few women in the “promotion pipeline,” this problem is compounded. Study findings indicate that women believe their female counterparts to be next in line for high‐level management positions if they are already in management positions or receiving developmental assistance (Elacqua et al., ).…”

The Comparison of Glass Ceiling Perception of Employees Working in Public and Private Enterprises

“…Glass ceiling on the basis of gender can be defined as limiting the chance for promotion, duties and responsibilities by invisible organizational or perceptual barriers [1]- [3].…”