Merida Johns’ article titled Breaking the glass ceiling: Structural, Cultural, and organizational barriers preventing women from achieving senior and executive positions addresses the issue of gender diversity in senior positions in organizations. Johns notes that barriers exist that prevent women from rising to senior executive positions. He uses the phrase “The Glass Ceiling” to refer to these obstacles (Johns, 2013, p. 2).
The barriers are categorized into governmental, societal, business structural and internal business barriers (Johns, 2013, p. 2). Societal barriers are associated with bias, color, and culture. Governmental barriers emanate from failure to enforce policies on gender balance. Recruitment policies in businesses impede women from reaching top levels of management. Business structural barriers are due to dead-end jobs and undefined methods of assessing performance.
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Overcoming these barriers requires the input of all stakeholders in fighting gender discrimination. The government has the means to end the discrimination by passing policies that break down the barriers. Employees should also engage in programs that encourage gender equality in organizations. Progressive gains are effective in addressing the issue of discriminating women against rising to leadership positions.
Johns’ opinions and assertions shed more light on the setbacks that women encounter in their quest to climb to leadership positions in almost every field. The evidence provided by the article on challenges encountered in attaining gender equality in organizations is consistent with the textbook’s information on gender inequality in leadership. The society, government, and businesses too are not putting adequate effort to ensure women have equal opportunities as their male counterparts to rise to leadership positions. Overcoming stereotypes and organizational barriers will allow women to climb the leadership barriers (Ibarra, Ely, & Kolb, 2013, p. 64). Gradual progress, as opposed to one time fixes, is presented as practical ways of achieving gender equality in leadership.
Gender diversity in leadership is an issue that cant is ignored. The barriers that prevent women from rising to uppermost echelons of administration need to be eliminated. Society, government, and business have a role to play in this quest. Women have the same leadership abilities as men; they should, therefore, be given equal opportunities to lead.
References
Ibarra, H., Ely, R., & Kolb, D. (2013). Women rising: The unseen barriers. Harvard business review, 91(9) , 60-66.
Johns, M. L. (2013). Breaking the glass ceiling: Structural, cultural, and organizational barriers preventing women from achieving senior and executive positions. Perspectives in Health Information Management/AHIMA, American Health Information Management Association, 10(Winter). Retrieved on 23 January 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544145/.
