Children are encouraged from a young age that they are capable of anything, working anywhere they want and being anyone they who they want to be, but how accurate is that same concept for women in the technology industry? While society continues to evolve, and become more inclusive for minority groups, the glass ceiling is still a prominent issue which hinders many workplaces. Griffin (2017) defines the glass ceiling as a metaphor for the unseen and unattainable barrier towards advancing past a certain point, typically experienced by women that are prevented from reaching senior positions within their professions. One industry where the glass ceiling is especially overt is the tech industry. This essay will address and examine how the glass ceiling remains a prevalent issue within the workplace by providing context, the application of relevant theories, specifically muted group theory and feminist standpoint theory, and recommend solutions to rectify the issue. Within this essay, it will be argued that women in the technology industry are victims of the glass ceiling and are exposed to difficulties and discrimination that men will never have to experience, nor have the capacity to fully understand. The fact that studies have found that companies with the best records of the promotion of women, outrank their competitors on all measures of profitability, makes it difficult to comprehend why companies would not want to do what is best for them and have women in power (Johns, M. L., 2013).
As previously explained, the glass ceiling is an unseen barrier that restricts women from advancing to higher positions within their careers, due to their gender. Women within society are not blind to the existence of the glass ceiling, nor the effects it has on their ability to progress, their career concerns, familial demands, pressures of culture and media representations. Despite recognising the barriers, women still tend to be attracted to different aspects of executive work, most typically how challenging the role is, as well as the potential for achievements, recognition and rewards (Ezzedeen, S., Budworth, M., & Baker, S., 2015). To put the severity of the issue into perspective, the effects of the glass ceiling can be looked at from a global perspective. A 2018 study conducted by The Economist, compared 29 countries on the following indicators: educational attainment, labour-market attachment, pay, child-care costs, maternity and paternity rights, business-school applications and representation in senior management positions. From the study, it was found that Sweden ranked the highest, countries like Japan and South Korea ranked down the very bottom, and Australia was ranked 16th. The research also identified that women have significantly increased their presence in the workplace, though the advancement may be slower than expected with financial-data firm, MSCI predicting the global share of women on boards will increase from 17.3% to 30% by 2028 (The Economist, 2018). While the study is general and not specific to one workplace, as minor as the changes are, women are working towards making the workplace a better and more supportive environment for them. Some specific issues that a woman may face, that create a glass ceiling effect is job segregation, this can occur if a woman finds herself in a job that has no opportunities for advancement, such as a secretarial position, though because of her gender she would not be offered a job with notable significance. Another issue is sexual harassment, which means that in most situations, not all, some companies may only reprimand the perpetrator and no further action would be taken to amend the situation. Another issue is the concept of a “men’s’ club” or a clique, this is the idea that men will group together and support each other, and because of this belonging to a group and the sense of brotherhood they create, it is often the men within these groups that will be promoted to higher positions, not necessarily due to their calibre but rather their relationship with hierarchal figures in the company. Another issue is stereotypes, whether they be media representations or simply what is most commonly believed within society, women have the burden of stereotype threat, which creates a fear about their action’s and whether these confirm any negative stereotypes associated with their identity. A lack of enforcement of anti-discrimination within the workplace also hinders progression as it means that women and other minorities do not have the proper ability to support their claims and receive adequate justice for their experiences. By providing context and explanation of the issue, women are subject to the glass ceiling and are often exposed to difficulties and discrimination that men will never have to experience, nor have the capacity to fully understand.
One theory which can provide guidance to understanding the effects of the glass ceiling is muted group theory. Muted group theory was developed by Cheris Kramarae, and it is based on the fundamental that language is a man-made construct. Feminist theorists, including Kramarae, state that women’s language is disregarded within society and their thoughts are typically diminished and devalued (Griffin, E. 2012). Muted groups are the minorities which have little to no voice when trying to articulate their thoughts, this means that they often are unable to fully express their ideas to the fullest potential with the language that men have created. Assumptions of this theory are that men and women perceive the world differently as they have different experiences that form that perceptions, which means that men and women will complete tasks in different ways based on their knowledge. Another assumption is that men execute their power politically, maintain control and suppress and mute women’s voices from reaching public acceptance. The final assumption is that women must convert their personal ideas, experiences and meanings into men’s language if they ever wish to be heard (Chadwick, S., 2006). The strengths of this theory is that it provides a renewed understanding of people, a clarification of value, provides discussion and agreement in the community and reform of society. A weakness of this theory is that men can be considered a muted group in some situations, and the theory doesn’t explain all interactions that are able to obtain goals in the workplace. The application of muted group theory can be utilised to gain understanding of the dilemmas that those within minority groups face. When considering the tech industry, there is no denying that this is still a male dominated industry. In fact, a 2016 report by the National Centre for Women & Technology (NCWIT) found that women only made up 25% of computing-related occupations, which has continued to decline since 1991 (Ashcroft, C., McLain, B. & Eger, E., 2016). This theory can be applied to any form of communication scenario, where a woman is trying to make her ideas and meaning known to others, but due to the barriers that man-made language imposes on minorities, especially women, she may be left inarticulate and muted. An example of an application of the theory is within a workplace meeting. It is not uncommon for men to dominate this type of workplace environment, by talking over the top of others to get their own points across, and completely disregarding others. The theory provides guidance to the reasoning of why men behave the way they do, and explains that since men are not a marginalised group, they do not have the same ability to be aware of, and ask questions than someone that faces marginalisation. The theory outlined within muted group theory supports the proposition that women in the technology industry are victims of the glass ceiling and are exposed to difficulties and discrimination that men will never have to experience, nor have the capacity to fully understand.
Another theory that provides understanding to the issue of the glass ceiling is feminist standpoint theory. This theory created by Nancy Hartsock, proposes that knowledge stems from social positioning, and it denies the objectivity of traditional science and suggests that research and theory has ignored and marginalised women and feministic ways of thinking (Borland, E., 2018). Feminist standpoint theory supports that marginalised people see the world from their standpoint, while those in power do not necessarily consider other people’s standpoints, to improve their quality of life. It relies on two assumptions; one that all knowledge is located and situated, and two that one location that the standpoint of women is privileged is because it provides a vantage point that reveals the truth of social reality (Hekman, S., 1997). The theory aids in providing a clearer understanding of the difficulties that women face when finding their workplace identity, which is necessary to consider because until the obstructions to promotion are identified they cannot be rectified. It also looks at understanding the propositions women bring to communication and how these understandings are applied (Watkins Allen, M., Armstrong, D. J., Riemenschneider, C. K., & Reid, M. F., 2006). The strengths of the theory are that it provides reasoning and understanding to why majority groups have such difficulty altering their standpoint on an issue, and identifies why minority groups treat other people and their standpoints better. The weakness is that the theory generalises groups and assumes that all members of minority groups have experiences marginalisation at some stage, and with this experience have the capacity to view situations from different standpoints. The theory can be seen in practice when considering the scenario of how two different boss’ would treat a misunderstanding with an employee of colour, based on their gender and differing standpoint. A female boss is more likely to be more understanding about the situation, as she too understands what it is like to be marginalised and has the capacity to see the situation from the same standpoint as the employee. Whereas a male would not have this same interaction, and there would be much more friction and disagreement between the pair because the boss cannot and has no interest in viewing the situation from a different standpoint other than his own. The concepts within this theory regarding differences in standpoint support the proposition that women in the technology industry are victim to the glass ceiling and are exposed to difficulties and discrimination that men will never have to experience nor have the capacity to fully understand.
To rectify the issue of the glass ceiling that women face in the workplace, specifically within the technology industry, they first need to be identified. The issue of women being left unarticulated within society, as language is a man-made construct that doesn’t support women to the same degree, is an issue that is due to be corrected. There is no obvious solution to this issue, as language is constantly evolving, but language is shaped by the world it’s in so if society adapts and supports women the language will too. The issue with majority groups not having the capacity to see another person’s standpoint is something that cannot be fixed, rather how it is dealt with can be. If the issue is that only people from minority groups have the capacity to view another person’s standpoint, then they should be in the position to deal with the situation, rather than someone that is too ignorant to change their perception. The issue with stereotypes is that when considering women, especially those working within the technology industry, is there is an abysmal amount of representation, let alone accurate and empowering depictions. This can be corrected by accurately representing women within the workplace and having female figures to look up to, because without this inspiration women cannot imagine themselves within these positions of power. Not to mention, it demonstrates to all women that working in executive positions within the technology industry, and others, is possible and they do not have to settle for being a secretary. By applying these changes within society, the issue of women being victims of the glass ceiling, and being exposed to difficulties and discrimination that men will never have to experience, nor have the capacity to fully understand, there is hope for the future.
In conclusion, women in the technology industry are victim to the glass ceiling and are exposed to difficulties and discrimination that men will never have to experience, nor have the capacity to fully understand. To properly understand the hardship that women are subjected to, it was necessary to examine the context of the issue and apply relevant theories to help in providing explanation. While the glass ceiling cannot be shattered immediately the recommendations that were proposed are a step in the right direction, and work towards resolving the issue, as quickly and efficiently as possible. A future where women in technology is no longer a far-fetched concept, is a future that society needs, and can fully achieve if change is made.
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