The Glass Ceiling A Human Capitalist Perspective

The Glass Ceiling: A Human Capitalist Perspective The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier preventing women and minorities from advancing into upper management (Bell 67). Despite extensive legislation and the widespread implementation of equal opportunity policies, there is still widespread structural inequality and job segregation in organizations throughout the United States. The level of the `glass ceiling varies among organizations and is reflected in different employment patterns, hiring practices, and promotion plans (Adler 451). The purpose of this paper is to provide background as well as a more in-depth analysis of the glass ceiling phenomenon and apply a human-capitalistic theorist perspective to the issues. Women are†¦show more content†¦Women are perceived as being less knowledgeable or less qualified than men. They are also viewed as being less responsible or unreliable, due to family related issues, than men are. In addition, women are seen to be less committed to labor force participation than men. High turnover rates and low productivity levels in females-dominated occupations produce this stereotype (Adler 450). Gender stereotypes of this nature result in loss of opportunity for women to gain the necessary job experiences for advancement (Bell 67). Women s advancement often stops short of the general management level as a partial result of discrimination by white men in positions of power, which include the differences of developmental job assignments they are afforded (Ohlott 46). Developmental job assignments have been found to be one of the most important factors in preparing both men and women for upper-level management positions (Ohlott 46 - 47).If women do not experience these same job assignments, they may be less prepared than men for handling future upper-level management jobs. These types of job assignments lead to high-level positions, make managers more visible, and prepare them for future jobs. With men being in the top ranks