A study conducted by financial services company Edward Jones revealed that two out of three Americans believe that the glass ceiling exists and women in the workforce face a real barrier to career advancement.
The financial services industry was named by the most survey respondents as the industry with the hardest glass ceiling for women to overcome, followed by technology, and media and publishing.
Taking a closer look at the data, Edward Jones reports that 67% of men and women who participated in the study believe that women are more ambitious than men when it comes to rising to leadership positions in the workplace. Respondents cited the following factors as the biggest contributors to the glass ceiling:
- 83% – male-dominated environments in the workplace create barriers that impede these “ambitious women” from advancing.
- 73% – the juggle of family and work responsibilities
- 62% – inadequate policies for women in the workplace (e.g., stringent maternity leave policies)
- 56% – lack of adequate mentoring or a defined career path in reaching the executive board level
Do you agree with the survey respondents? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
You can read more details about the survey results, methodologies, and findings by following the link to the full press release above.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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My entire career I have heard women themselves say that far to many women make less money in the work place as men that have the exact same jobs. I only have my experience to back this up– but I have also seen the macho vibe by men in the work place act as an intimidating factor where their attitudes toward women bred a certain atmosphere of disrespect. Put another way, even though there are laws in place regarding sexual harassment, and hostile work environments–in the work place–often women are insulted and seen as less than even when they are not openly targeted with negative comments just bordering on harassment. Men are clever at these tactics and women sometimes fear this cleverness and are intimidated enough to afford an attitude counter to healthy ambition. Women are equal to men in every way and in some ways, according to my theories, innately superior. It is always hurtful when I hear they are treated otherwise.