Kelli Mack/ February 6, 2008/ 5:27 pm/ Gender Issues
This article focuses on the amount of women in corporate positions in the United Kingdom. It begins by pointing out that women today are outperforming men in school and are making the majority of consumer spending decisions, so in other words they are important in the economy and society. The article then points out that even though women are of such clout, they are not performing at their maximum potential in the work force and that the so called "glass ceiling" is shatterproof.
The article then states that according to statistics less and less women are being given corporate positions and the numbers are falling even from only two years ago. However, it is also stated that if women were being used to their full potential that the country would gain nearly 23 billion pounds. The article then brings up the idea that men should start being the ones demolishing the "glass ceiling" and realizing that it will aid not only the economy but them as well by allowing more women in the work place.
It then mentions a book written Why Women Mean Business: Understanding the Emergence of our next Economic Revolution. In this book several people are mentioned saying that if nothing is done about the current gender situation in the workplace that the country will have millions of women in middle management positions who will come together but not be able to do anything about it. It also mentions the company PriceWaterhouse-Coopers (PwC). This company has been working on becoming gender bilingual and realizing that women really are helpful to the workforce. Some companies have even offered workshops on gender issues. However, the problem could be that women always say what is to be expected and maybe should try a different approach. The article goes on to mention that several different companies are working on making changes in their gender policies. It also mentions that changes really do need to be made in the case of the United Kingdom given that Rwanda has a higher representation of women in its government than the UK. Overall, what women need is courage to make their way to the top.
I find this a very good article to prove to women they do not have to do everything by the books and that it may help them to come out of their shell and succeed in the workplace. I also like that the article mentions companies that are trying to make a change and that those changes are bettering the company rather than focusing on all the negatives. It really makes me see that companies can do better with women as their CEOs and other corporate positions and that great things can be done with a little bit of courage.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_extracts/article3313473.ece
3 comments:
I really enjoyed your post. In our classes we always study women in the workplace that are being paid less than men for the same jobs and the glass ceiling. Its refreshing to read a real life article that is addressing these issues with such enthusiasm.
I really enjoyed reading your post. The thing about your post that I found most interesting is that it had good things to say about women for a split second, then here comes the negatives. "Women are excelling in school", "women are more and more holding high positions of power".... "But, women are also this" "women can't do that." I mean, do you find this uncanny? I don't! Let's face it. I'm making a bold statement saying this but THIS IS A MAN'S WORLD! It doesn't matter how much education a woman has, or how much she's accomplished. Because she hjas breast and other feminine characteristics, for whatever reason, she's not going to have what it takes to be "on top". It's these men with their pride who have too much testosterone to take orders from a woman. They're the ones who always have something negative to say about it. The day that those type of men can get over this and realize that women can do their job, and then some, the better off we'll all be!
I agree with the other two who have commented - it's really refreshing to read something that makes it seem POSSIBLE for this glass ceiling to be shattered, and for people everywhere (not just in Britain) to realize that women can work just as hard as men and that there are huge benefits (to a country, and to individuals) in recognizing the fact that women can bring something to the table. Once that is realized by everyone - even some women themselves, then things can only get better!
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