Mastrorilli 1

Bridget Mastrorilli

Professor. Susan Strom

English 125

14 April 2017

Womens Disadvantages in Male Dominated Workplaces

Throughout the decades, social movements have made tremendous strides in the fight

toward equal rights for all people. One of these social movements, the fight for womens rights,

has been a catalyst for females in the workplace. Although society has made some progress

toward gender equality, male dominated occupations and limited promotion opportunities still

pose a problem for women trying to break through the glass ceiling.

Examining the womans experience in male dominated fields is imperative to

understanding the difficulty of climbing the corporate hierarchy. Faculty of Health Science at the

University of Sydney, Louisa Smith interviewed 30 women during the span of two years, 2007 to

2009, who were either employed or previously employed in male dominated careers such as

information technology (IT) or skilled trades (Louisa Smith, 3). These interviews indicated that

women in these fields often had to protect themselves from the immense pressure, threats, and

harassment facilitated by male workers (Louisa Smith, 9). Smith stated thatmost women

described being shown pornography and being exposed to sexist, racist and homophobic jokes in

the workplace, (Louisa Smith, 5). These types of behaviors can deter women from entering the

fields, creating a gender separation in occupations.

Women are perceived to have much better social and communication skills than those of

men. Doris Ruth Eikhof of Stirling Management School discussed that although these skills

should serve as strengths in occupations based on networking, studies oppose this assumption.
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Networking stresses the importance of benefiting from social capital. In a 2002 study by Gill,

networking settings were described as clubby atmosphere, places women are not perceived as

professional. (Eikhof) Even in fields that would cater to womens strengths, men dominate

because of the preexisting stereotypes of how a female should assert herself.

Women in male dominated occupations must shield themselves from the undermining

and pressure from male co-workers. This additional work might burden the women in these

fields and tamper with their success. This could present a problem when trying to obtain upper

level positions. The type of behavior exhibited by the male workers in this study could even

prevent other women from starting to work in one of these fields. If a woman does not attempt to

take on a male dominated career then there is no possibility for growth and therefore, one could

not break through the glass ceiling. These male dominated fields thrive off of the harsh

stereotypes of what society finds acceptable for women in a particular industry, presenting an

issue of gender inequality.

Along with the hardships women face in male dominated occupations, gender inequality

is prevalent throughout an array of fields, making it harder for women to climb to the top of any

organization. Psychology professor at the University of Exeter, Alex Haslam and academic

fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Exeter, Michelle Ryan conducted their

own study on gender roles in regard to managerial positions. Haslam and Ryan studied the share

price performances of CEOs, both before and after their leading on the executive board of the top

100 Financial Times Stock Exchange Companies in the UK. The examination revealed that

women were often appointed into higher risk situations or into the companies that previously had

poor share price performance while men were made CEOs of companies that showed a steady

performance in the previous months. (Ryan and Haslam, 1) These results coined the term, glass
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cliff, where women broke through the glass ceiling only to find themselves in a leadership

position encompassing a high risk of failure.

To extend their research, Haslam and Ryan organized case studies and interviews with women.

These interviews indicated that women were prone to accept risky leadership positions because

of the limited amount of opportunities they were presented. ( Ryan and Haslam, 2) According to

Vieito, companies show a higher success rate under the leadership of a woman. (Buckalew, et al.

1) That said, in 2010, a study by Vinnicombe found that only 5 of FTSE 100 companies are

under the leadership of a female CEO, and just 12.5% of FTSE 100 executive board members

were women. (Eikhof, 2) Prompting a paradox, women are more successful than men as leaders

yet a much greater amount of men are in leadership positions.

A 2012 study conducted by Vieito examined the contrasting functions of the behavioral theory

and tournament theory incorporating 1,500 public U.S companies. The behavioral theory

promotes a smaller wage gap between the CEO and lower management to enforce collaboration

among executive employees. On the other hand, the tournament theory focuses on a higher wage

gap between the CEO and lower management to spark competition between employees. Both

strategies aim to improve company performance. The research found that female CEOs had a

higher company performance when the behavior theory was implemented while male CEOs

found the most success while the tournament theory was applied (Buckalew, et al. 3). These

results suggest that male CEOs make more money than female CEOs even though women seem

to perform just as well. Since only a small percentage of women occupy high management

positions, most women make up a majority of the lower paying jobs that Banyard in 2010 named

the 5 Cs: cleaning, caring, clerical work, cashiering and catering, (Eikhof, 2). The wage gap
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in corporate positions and the vast amount of women with low-paying jobs illustrate the

continued presence of gender inequality.

Women often try to avoid the glass ceiling through entrepreneurial efforts and starting up their

own companies. (Buckalew, et al. 6) Although this is deemed a logical solution, females find that

their gender is an obstacle for obtaining financial means to start their company. The association

with their gender hinders the opportunities in the market to find capital due to the general

assumption that they will fail (Eikhof, 2). This new drawback creates a second glass ceiling,

according to the 2012 research of Bosse and Taylor. If a female does succeed in receiving the

financial backing needed to start a company, other obstacles could then present themselves, such

as skepticism from other workers or companies. In one of her interviews, Smith highlighted, a

small business owner, Lynnes experience of dealing with other trades people. Smith wrote,

Lynne explained that on more than one occasion when the local building inspector would

inspect one of her buildings, he would measure every beam and joist to see that they were the

correct dimensions, a degree of precision he never bothered with any male builders she had

worked with, (Louisa Smith, 5). Finding financial capital and skepticism from others sculpt the

second glass ceiling for female entrepreneurs.

The progression of gender equality in the workplace is discouraged by stereotypes. The

Social Role Theory and Role Congruity Theory give insight into how stereotypes can

disadvantage women in the workplace. The Social Role theory as explained on page 60 of the

2011 study by Shelly and Johnson states that those in managerial positions should obtain

technical and relational skills, as well as having a common perception of masculinity. This is

an impediment to females in consideration for leadership positions because of societys

stereotypes that women do not possess these qualities. The Role Congruity Theory, according to
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Shelly and Johnson, deals with the repercussions one faces when going against the stereotypes

(Buckalew, et al. 5). For example, women are categorized as the more caring gender and

therefore, should have more verbal consideration with employees. On page 4 of Mohrs 2008

research, he described verbal consideration as a leadership behavior that expresses esteem for

the follower and her or his work, knowledge and opinion. These behaviors include positive

feedback and appearances by the executive to address employees on their efforts and conflicts.

Mohr found that, although female CEOs have similar, perhaps even more, verbal consideration,

males CEOs receive more credit since it is outside the gender norm. On the other hand, if

females engage in non stereotypical behaviors, they are ridiculed by employees. Women in

leadership positions engaging in non conventional behaviors is a contributing factor to the low

number of females in high executive positions. (Buckalew, et al. 4)

The intermingling of work and family exemplifies another stereotype women face in the

workplace. Often times, female workers have to balance the obligations of motherhood,

marriage, and work (Buckalew, et al. 5). Despite their paid employment, women partake in a

second shift at home, which consists of family related matters (Eikhof, 2). A 2009 study by

Hoobler, Lemmon, and Wayne revealed that managers see the family-work conflict as a potential

disadvantage, making female workers a poorer fit for higher positions. (Buckalew, et al. 5)

The association with female workers and juggling family obligations limits opportunities for

women to be taken into consideration for higher positions within a particular company or

corporation.

Limited promotion opportunities for women prompt gender inequality in the workplace,

subjecting only a few women the chance to break through the glass ceiling. Even if these female

workers do make their way up the hierarchy, they are then confronted with the glass cliff, where
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they are placed in a situation with a great chance of failure. Gender stereotypes put women at a

disadvantage when being evaluated for promotion opportunities thus making it hard for a woman

to achieve and maintain a higher level position.The tough climb to the top of the corporate ladder

keeps a majority of women working in lower paying occupations. Trying to escape the glass

ceiling, women have become entrepreneurs and embark on starting their own businesses. In

doing so, these women are introduced to the second glass ceiling, making it difficult to find

financial capital and support.

Buckalew, Erik, Alexis Konstantinopoulos, Jonathan Russell, Seif El-Sherbini. The Future of

Female CEOs and Their Glass Ceiling. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly 3.4 (2012): 145-

153. IBISWorld. Web. 4 Apr. 2017.

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Eikhof, Doris Ruth. A Double-edged Sword. Twenty-first Century Workplace Trends and

Gender Equality. Gender In Management 27.1 (2012): 7-22. IBISWorld. Web. 4 Apr. 2017.

Ryan, Michelle, Alex Haslam. What Lies Beyond the Glass Ceiling?: The Glass Cliff and the

Potential Precariousness of Womens Leadership Positions. Human Resource Management

International Digest 14.3 (2006): 3-5. IBISWorld. Web. 4 Apr. 2017.

Smith, Louisa. Working Hard with Gender: Gendered Labour for Women in Male Dominated

Occupations of Manual Trades and Information Technology. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal 32.6 (2013): 592-603. IBISWorld. Web. 4 Apr. 2017.