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The glass ceiling effect
Business international: Frauen im Beruf

Female statistics

Women do not advance as quickly up the career ladder as men, nor do they reach managerial positions as often. Even if they do get to the top, they do not earn as much as men. According to Wirtschaftswoche magazine (4 August 2008) 1% of Germany's 200 biggest companies have a woman member on their board of directors and only 26.5% of Germany's CEOs are female. Whilst some put the blame squarely on women for choosing the "wrong" subjects at university, the problem could be seen in society itself. Until 1977, for example, it was necessary by law for a German wife to obtain permission from her husband before taking on a job, which was not allowed to interfere with her family duties.

The glass ceiling effect

But the "glass ceiling effect", a term first used in the 1980s, refers to a situation not based on written policy. The top of the career ladder is visible but unattainable: women keep banging their heads on invisible career obstacles. Some claim that this is due to men favouring men for promotion. Men's networks may be exclusively male, or women may be perceived as lacking the necessary qualities for leadership. In a Catch-22 situation, when women do have so-called "male" attributes, they are often viewed negatively. Alternatively, a woman is often seen as a company liability - it is assumed that she might never come back to full-time work if she starts a family. This attitude reveals that childcare is still viewed as a job for women. The obvious solution would be to create more nurseries or crèches. Men may well sit back at college because they know once they enter the world of work, they have this advantage; women, on the other hand, know that if they want to have a serious career and start a family, they are going to have to apply some elbow-grease.

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