In the recent decades women have moved forwards in leaps and bounds, gaining voting rights and steady jobs. It has gone from something unusual and strange to the norm in society to have both members of a household working in steady jobs. However, despite all of the changes that have occurred, the 2010 Catalyst Census and surveys by CareerCurve Workforce Solutions have shown there is still a “glass ceiling” in the workplace. Surprisingly though it is not as strong a barrier as it once was.
According to the 2010 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors women held 15.7% of board seats in 2010 and 14.4% of Executive Officer positions. This shows that despite women having access to the top positions they are not in strong representation.
So now the question is how do we change this?
The survey conducted by CareerCurve on high powered female executives has given us a unique look into what those women do differently and given us a model to follow to propel ourselves to the top.
– Communicate your value – of the women surveyed there was a clearly defined ambition for their career which was translated to their employer. These women told their bosses and colleagues what they accomplished to ensure recognition.
– Business experience – most of the women who made it to the top roles had chosen positions within their organizations that allowed them to garner experience in profit and loss models which is necessary for executive roles.
– Make a plan – The women in this study had well defined goals for both their personal and business lives and stayed on course with them. This allowed for constant growth and improvement throughout their careers.
Another thing to consider is this, “the women interviewed advised us that focusing on the concept of the glass ceiling can often be a self-imposed limiting factor,” said Ms. Wagoner.
When considering what sets you apart don’t forget that women often display stronger financial performances with a 53% higher return on equity, 42% higher return on sales and 66% higher return on invested capital. Women are strong employees and with proper drive and goals can achieve executive positions just like any man.
Hilary Brooks
Hilary Brooks is President, CEO of A Virtual Edge, a full-service virtual assistant company, and Owner of freelance web design company Small Biz Web Whiz. Hilary and her team offer a wide variety of services to busy entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, and bloggers, providing the office and creative support they need to succeed without all the hassles of hiring a traditional employee.
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I have to write a blog for my college writing class and have recently wrote on the topic of the glass ceiling for women. I do agree that there is a glass ceiling in our business world today. We sometimes see that a woman has made it and is now CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but this is rare. I think if women follow the model you gave in your post we will start seeing an increase in women succeeding to the top positions.