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The Glass Ceiling

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The Glass Ceiling
The Glass Ceiling
Webster University

Abstract
This paper addresses two articles, Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership written by Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli, and A Modest Manifesto for Shattering The Glass Ceiling, written by Debra E. Meyerson and Joyce K. Fletcher. The phrase glass ceiling is described in many articles as a barrier that prevents women from achieving success in their careers. Women are found at the top of middle management and are being denied of higher positions in the corporate ladder and are getting paid less than men for similar type of work. Both articles address the question whether is the glass ceiling the reason why women are not getting advancement in their careers or it is the sum of many obstacles that hold women back into the high level jobs. According to the authors of both articles, the answer to this question is that it is not the glass ceiling the barrier for women’s advancement. To understand and overcome these barriers, the authors of the articles have used terms such as labyrinth and small wins strategy. According to Meyerson and Fletcher, it is not the glass ceiling but the organizational structures and its hidden barriers to equity and effectiveness what are holding back women. This paper will explore the author’s recommendations for overcoming these barriers and for helping women prevail by changing workplace’s practices in organizations.

Overview
The two articles chosen to write this abstract have been selected from the Harvard Business Review. In the first article, Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership, the word labyrinth is described as a contemporary symbol that “conveys the idea of a complex journey toward a goal worth striving for” (Walls all around section, para. 1). If women are able to understand the barriers in this labyrinth, they will be able to overcome many obstacles they encounter. Throughout awareness and persistency during the process, women will have a much better chance to obtain



References: Eagly, A. H., Carli, L.L. (2007). Harvard business review. Women and the labyrinth of leadership. Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2007/09/women-and-the-labyrinth-of-leadership/ar/2 Greenhaus, J. H., Callanan, G.A., Godshalk, V.M. (2010). Career management. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE publications Inc. Meyerson, D. E., Fletcher, J.K. (2000). Harvard business review. A Modest manifesto for shattering the glass ceiling. Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2000/01/a-modest-manifesto-for-shattering-the-glass-ceiling/ar/1

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