Glass Ceiling

The Glass Ceiling research paper due and no idea how to lay it out. We suggest beginning by discussing the glass ceiling, what it has meant to women, how it has been overcome, etc.

In order to begin this investigation, it is first helpful to provide a review of how the glass ceiling is defined and conceptualized in the scholarly literature. Paper Masters writers that have investigated the definition of the glass ceiling report that the term originally appeared in a Wall Street Journal article in 1986. Since this time, numerous scholars have examined the glass ceiling without developing a clear definition for the term. Despite this lack of clarification, Gorman and Kmec insist that the term glass ceiling is often loosely utilized to refer to "women's disproportionately low representation in corporate management or 'top' management positions". These authors go on to assert that the glass ceiling has been measured in terms of women's rank or position in the organization, earnings and authority.

Although a definition of the glass ceiling appears to provide a succinct overview of the term and its related issues, Cotter, Hermsen, Ovadia and Vanneman (2001) assert that the term glass ceiling has been broadly applied to all gender issues and racial issues relating to job advancement. According to these authors, "Not all gender or racial inequalities need to be defined as glassceilings". With this in mind, these authors go on to argue that there are specific criteria that need to be in place to define a situation of inequality as one that directly relates to a glass ceiling. In particular these authors argue that the following criteria are essential to defining the glass ceiling:

• Barriers to advancement must be "artificialto the advancement of women and minorities".
• "A glassceiling usually implies a particular type of labor market discrimination that is more specific than the general concept of differential returns for equal amounts of human capital".
• "A glassceiling inequality represents a gender or racial inequality in the chances of advancement into higher levels, not merely the proportions of each gender or race currently at those higher levels".

With a basic review of how the glass ceiling has been defined and conceptualized in the literature, it is now possible to consider what has been noted about the impact of the glass ceiling on women. Although both broad and specific methods for defining the glass ceiling have been developed, a precursory overview what has been written on the impact of the glass ceiling shows a wide range of variation. While some scholars argue that the glass ceiling has had a notable impact on the ability of women to advance in business and management other scholars contend that the glass ceiling does not exist in most modern organizations

Introduction: In this section of The Glass Ceiling Research Paper, state the purpose of the paper in succinct, declarative sentences. Convince your reader that the study will have a practical value and meaning for you and the study will be based upon the concepts studied in the course.

Background and Significance: This section provides further justification of the need for your study. If your project examines a The Glass Ceiling drawn from your work:

1. You should include a description of your work environment
2. Your position in the organization and how your position fits into the organization
3. Both vertically and horizontally
4. Explain the applicable concepts from the course. If your project is focused on a particular organization, explain how these concepts apply to that organization
5. What is the organization doing well?
6. Would it benefit by adopting some of the concepts you have been studying?

Discussion, Implications and Recommendations: In this section, you should provide:

1. A thorough discussion of your findings and the implications of your study.
2. Be sure to include only the pertinent implications.
   You should also present your recommended action plan.
3. This plan will vary based on the type of project you selected.
4. For example, it may be a personal action plan for you follow in your present position or in a position which would enable you to put the plan into action.
5. If your project is a literature review, then your recommendations may be focused on what issues need further research. Be sure that the recommendations are realistic in terms of the appropriate HR concepts and, if applicable, the organization you have studied.

References: You cannot use your texts as your primary source of information. You must draw on other sources such as HR and business journals, information from an organization, and interviews with individuals who work in an HR position.

Be sure that you support the information presented with appropriate references. It is important that all references and quotes correctly are cited correctly. All sources, including web sites must be referenced in the Bibliography or References list. You must follow an accepted authority for style and form (e.g., APA style).

In the end, it is evident that women still face some barriers when it comes to advancement in the organization. However, as awareness of this issue increases, the glass ceiling is showing signs of cracking. Higher degrees of pay equity have been achieved in many professions and more women are entering into the upper echelons of management in the organization. While there has been notable progress in achieving gender equity in the workplace, the reality is that organizations must continue to address this issue. At the present time, organizations are attempting to overcome decades of organizational and social gender stereotypes. This cannot be accomplished in a few years. As long as organizations continue to address these issues, women will continue to advance. At some point perhaps the glass ceiling will be shattered.