The Glass Ceiling is Still There
Posted by Rene Petrin on Fri, May 20, 2011 @ 09:17 AM
Bentley University in Waltham, MA is about to launch the school's Center for Women and Business. President Gloria Larson states that the center "will focus on educating students about their leadership potential, conducting research about how and why companies should promote and retain women..." She further adds, "This pipeline in the corporate world is leaking badly once women start to get into the management ranks...and it's still pretty well blocked at the top."
A survey conducted by KRC Research of college-educated men and women ages 18-30 indicated that:
47% of men believe that men get more jobs than women
52% of women believe that men get more jobs than women
27% of men believe that glass ceilings exist in
most companies
37% of women believe that glass ceilings exist in
most companies
58% of men believe glass ceilings exist in
some companies
54% of women believe glass ceilings exist in
some companies
One of the most effective ways of breaking the glass ceiling is creating mentoring relationships with cross gender pairings. Since power in most companies resides with men, having a male mentor is a very effective way of changing perceptions and behaviors. I have often had male mentors comment how their experience of mentoring women has allowed them to better understand the challenges faced by women and motivated them to work toward creating a level playing field.
Is your mentoring program lifting the glass ceiling?