The Corporate Glass Ceiling

Notwithstanding the above arguments by feminist groups, some analysts argued that no glass ceiling existed at all. According to them, women could not reach top management positions only because most of them left their careers mid-way due to personal reasons (like marriage and raising a family).

They said, in order to become a CEO, a woman executive would have to sacrifice some aspects of her personal life. The top management posts demanded more commitment and required about 80 hours of work per week. Thus women in such positions would have to forgo their personal lives, which was not possible for most women.

Though the glass ceiling in the developed countries seemed to have broken only in selected industries like medicine, information technology and financial services (Refer Exhibit V), this development was less visible in the developing countries. Analysts also felt that in the developing countries, especially in the Asian region, it was the 'culture' that was primarily responsible for the existence of a strong glass ceiling. The culture did not allow women to work, and they were primarily entrusted with the job of homemaking. Analysts opined that in countries including Korea and India, marriage and male chauvinism had stopped women from building their careers.