Breaking the Glass Ceiling

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Glass ceiling

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"People often say there is a glass ceiling. And my reflection on that is, it's just a thick layer of men.”

- Laura Liswood, Secretary General of the Council of Woman World Leaders

Glass ceiling

Glass Ceiling in the role play

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Those who complain about glass ceilings should keep in mind that

glass can be shattered if one strikes it hard enough and long

enough.”

- Russel Madden.

* Women switch jobs more frequently than men.* Women would not work if economic reasons did not force them into the labor market.* Women fall apart in a crisis.* Women are too concerned with the social aspects of their jobs and cannot be trusted with important matters.* Women are more concerned than men about working conditions.* Women are not willing to travel extensively for the organization.* Women put their heart above their head, so at time they become over emotional.

 

Myths applied to women in business

The Glass Ceiling – Myth or Reality…?

• According to BreaktheGlassCeiling.com 97 percent of Fortune 100 companies have at least one woman on their boards and 188 companies in the Fortune 500 have two or more women directors; 34 companies have three or more women directors. And while 16 of 100 Senators are women – an all time high -- 74 women sit in the House of Representatives, including the first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

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So why do women still have to fight for the right to advance to the top?

The Real Reason So Few Women Are in the Boardroom

Commitment Too many employers believe that women will quit to

begin a family or care for elderly parents; therefore, organizations are less likely to invest in a woman’s career, when in fact the lack of opportunity is quite often what pushes them away

Wage Gap A Key reason men earn more than women is number-

of-hours worked

Exclusionism One of the biggest issues that women still face is the

continuing issue of the “old boy’s club” and women’s exclusion from this network.

“In business, women have to be three times as good as men, in order to succeed…”

Luckily, that is not so

difficult …

Glass ceiling could be all in your mind

• According a survey by management experts, the biggest obstacle on women’s climb to the top is their level of confidence - not their gender.

• The advance of women to company boardrooms is slowed not by discrimination but by the decisions of women workers themselves

• Only 30 percent of women under the age of 30 said they expect to become senior managers, it found - compared with 45 percent of men.

• Half of women managers said they have a high level confidence, against 70 percent of men.

• Some 73 percent of women say there is a glass ceiling limiting their prospects of promotion - but only 36 percent of women feel their own careers have been hindered. Only 38 percent of men said that they believe women are held back.

• Women feel a greater sense of risk around promotion, which leads to a more cautious approach to career opportunities.

What do we do

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Question – If /since the glass ceiling exists, what do we do about it?

CAPSULES FOR GLASS CEILING

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Answer

BP BTI BD

Answer..

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Be Prepared. • There is no substitute for competence.

• Don’t neglect to plan.• Identify your personal vision, mission, and goals.

• Look for opportunities; do your research.

Be Patient.

• Don’t insist on overnight success. • You may miss valuable lessons along the way.

Answer

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Be Personable , Dependable, and Generous.

• Good manners, friendliness, teamwork, excellence, grace, and forgiveness will never be out of style.

• Integrity, trustworthiness, loyalty and a good sense of humor are invaluable.

• Deliver the goods.

Answer

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Be Teachable and a Teacher.• Understand the value of flexibility, mentors,

and mentoring.

Be Introspective, Purposeful, and Soulful.• Understand your bent.• Find out what you like to do, and then do it.• Maintain balance. Count the cost.

Finally..

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Be Determined…

Not to crack, force open or break the glass ceiling, but rather to experience a graceful ascent based on choice, character, commitment, creativity, and circumstances.

Not to aim for the ceiling, when the universe may be your limit.

Yes, the business world is still riddled with a variety of misconceptions, assumptions and historical biases towards women in the workplace. But just because there are still difficulties, doesn’t mean women should stop trying. It is important to for them to persevere and go for what they want because they just may find they can at least crack the glass ceiling.

WHO BROKE THE GLASS CEILING

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Women in the corporate world

Some examples• Mahila Grih Udyog

– 7 ladies started in 1959: Lizzat Pappad• Lakme

– Simon Tata• Shipping coorporation

– Mrs. Sumati Morarji• Exports

– Ms. Nina Mehrotra• Herbal Heritage

– Ms. Shahnaz Hussain• Balaji films

– Ekta Kapoor

Naina Lal Kidwai, Investment Banker

• Fortune magazine listed her as one of the world’s most powerful businesswomen in 2003. India Inc recognises her as one of its most powerful investment bankers. But Naina Lal Kidwai, HSBC’s deputy CEO, can’t be reduced to simple woman-banker equations; her professional vision transcends gender

• Naina Lal Kidwai was the first Indian woman to graduate from the Harvard Business School. Fortune magazine listed Kidwai among the World's Top 50 Corporate Women from 2000 to 2003. According to the Economic Times, she is the first woman to head the operations of a foreign bank in India (HSBC). Kidwai was awarded the Padma Shri this year

Manisha Girotra is managing director and chairperson for Swiss bank UBS in India

• She is  acknowledged as unsurpassable in her skills in corporate deals, mergers and acquisitions

• She has been involved in a number of high-profile acquisitions like the Vodafone-Hutch union, the IPCL-Reliance merger and the privatization of VSNL

• In Parliament: Of course you know her. Pratibha Patil is the current and first female president of India. She started her career as a lawyer. However, she entered politics at a tender age of 27. She has an impeccable record of winning all the elections she has contested! Kudos to Pratibha!

• In Armed Forces: Lieutenant General Punita Arora is the first Indian woman to have the title of Lieutenant General of the Indian Army. She was born in Lahore, pre-independence. However, during the partition, her family relocated to India. No wonder Punita has such high degrees of patriotism!

• In Sports: Jhulan Goswami is an all rounder cricketer known for her batting as well as bowling skills. Presently, the captain of the Indian women’s Cricket Team. Jhulan had led the Indian team to win their first test series, in 2006-07, in England. This skillful cricketer has also earned herself the ICC Women's Player of the Year title in 2007

• In Law: Justice Fathima Beevi from Kerala, was the first female judge to be appointed to the Supreme court. She wasn’t just the first Supreme court female judge in India, but also in Asia! After retiring from her post as a judge, she became the Governor of Tamil Nadu! Now that's one heck of a successful career, don't you think?

• Meira Kumar (born March 31, 1945) is an Indian politician and a five time Member of Parliament. She was elected unopposed as the first woman Speaker of Lok Sabha on 3 June 2009

• Sunita Williams (born September 19, 1965) is a United States Naval officer and a NASA

• She holds the record of the longest spaceflight (195 days) for female space travelers astronaut

Inspirations….

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MAY BE YOU WILL BE THE NEXT

INSPIRATIONAL STORY .

Inspirations….

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Skills Matter More than Gender!

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Be aware of what is going on, but don’t be obsessed or afraid. Instead, be creative.

:

“ When women move forward, the family moves, the village moves

and the Nation moves.”

-Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru

MADE BY:-Parvinder KaurShakti Vohra

Nisha Manchanda

Prabhat Kapoor