Glass Ceiling, Sticky Floor, Now Glass Cliff: Barriers to Women Considering & Advancing in Male-Dominated Careers

Glass Ceiling, Sticky Floor, Now Glass Cliff: Barriers to Women Considering & Advancing in Male-Dominated Careers

Recently, I read an article titled, “Workplace discrimination: Welcome to the ‘glass cliff,’ “by the Christian Science Monitor. The article reported that new research from Yale University found that “when a person has a high level job traditionally held by the opposite gender, they are judged more harshly for their mistakes.” Unlike the glass ceiling which keeps women from rising higher, the glass cliff is what women in male-dominated careers are in danger of falling from.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the glass ceiling is defined as, “An unacknowledged discriminatory barrier that prevents women and minorities from rising to positions of power or responsibility, as within a corporation.” Women still hold only 15.7 percent of C-level positions at Fortune 500 companies. According to a recent study by Catalyst, Inc., gender stereotypes continue to prevent women from reaching the summit.

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Gender stereotypes still exist as to what is considered “women’s work.” These stereotypes are ingrained in our society and are passed along from our parents and continue with our school teachers and guidance counselors. Stereotypes and other barriers often greatly impact women’s career choices, leaving many to choose “pink collar” jobs, such as those in the administrative support and helping fields. In turn, this promotes the “sticky floor” phenomena. According to bnet.com, the sticky floor refers to “barriers to the advancement of women such as family commitments, attitudes, stereotyping, and organizational structures but has also been used to focus on circumstances where women are promoted but do not receive commensurate wage rises.”

Many factors come into play that either prevent or at least present a challenge to women advancing in their career. For women in non-traditional careers, aka male-dominated, additional barriers exist. There are strategies to help overcome these challenges. If you’re a woman in a male-dominated career, don’t miss out on these two exciting upcoming events:

Attend a free teleclass, Women in Male-Dominated Careers: The Top Roadblocks to Your Success and receive the Special Report on “Networking: Taking it to the Next Level.”