Analysis of Women and Career Advancement in Lebanon Order Instructions: I want a reply on this essay: The glass-ceiling effect: An analysis of women and career advancement in Lebanon
Throughout the years, the proportion of women in entry and middle-level management has increased immensely (Bombuwela & De Alwis, 2013). However, research indicates that females in senior-leadership roles, throughout an array of professions, still encounter numerous barriers within organizations that influence their career advancement. Several studies conclude a variety of structural and cultural barriers operating within organizations which resulted in the underrepresentation of females with executive titles (Kauser, 2010). Many of these findings concerning such barriers in management are centered across western context with somewhat limited understanding of the status of women in leadership in the Arab region (Kauser, 2010). The aim of the study is to investigate what types of glass-ceiling barriers are women in Lebanon encountering and how do these barriers influence their career advancement? What is the relationship between gender and leadership effectiveness? How can these organizational barriers be removed, in order to enhance career development for women. The topic is significant and interesting, given that research into the workforce dynamics of women in leadership and the glass-ceiling effect in Lebanon is limited.
The attitude of women’s role as only house-makers is shifting towards a career aspect, with only some women given the opportunity to gradually climb the corporate ladder. The glass-ceiling effect is one of the most popular metaphors for analyzing inequality and discrimination between men and women in the work-environment (Bombuwela & De Alwis, 2013). In other words, the barriers that inhibit women from advancing and progressing towards senior-level positions are described as the glass-ceiling effect. According to Auster (1993), the glass-ceiling effect is not one barrier or wall; it consists of diverse and prevalent types of gender discrimination that arise in explicit and implicit ways (Auster, 1993).
The existence of the glass-ceiling phenomena can be attributed to the differences in the needs of men and women. This is supported by O’Conner (2001) who states that women favor career trees whereas men are expected to climb corporate ladders. Evidence of women in leadership positions is highly underrepresented; this can be analyzed and understood through the role congruity theory of discrimination against female leaders. This theory is built on the idea that most values and attitudes regarding the sexes are linked to communal and agentic factors (Smith, et al., 2012). Communal attributes are mainly affiliated with females in terms of their nurturing approach, being helpful and supportive, and sympathetic whereas males are highly associated to agentic characteristics including assertive, independence, forceful, and self-assurance behavior. Agentic attributes tend to be preferred and key for successful leadership. There are two stereotype categories linked to the glass-ceiling effect and leadership (Smith, et al., 2012). Descriptive stereotypes are the expectations of what members of a group are actually like and prescriptive stereotypes are ideal characteristics of members of a group. Women are most likely to demonstrate communal attributes, while leaders should embody the descriptive stereotype of being agentic. Another inconsistent barrier for women aiming for a leadership role is their less favorable assessment when displaying agentic behaviors since this opposes the prescriptive stereotype that females should be communal (Smith, et al., 2012).
Analysis of Women and Career Advancement in Lebanon Bibliography
Auster, E. R., 1993. Demystifying the GC: Organizational and interpersonal dynamics of gender bias. Business and the Contemporary World, Volume 5, pp. 47-68.
Bombuwela, P. M. & De Alwis, C. A., 2013. Effects of Glass Ceiling on Women Career Development in Private Sector Organizations – Case of Sri Lanka. Journal of Competitiveness, 5(2), pp. 3-19.
O’Connor, V.J. (2001), “Women and men in senior management: a ‘different needs’ hypothesis Women in Management Review, 16(8), pp. 400-404.
Smith, P., Crittenden, N. & Caputi, P., 2012. Measuring women’s beliefs about glass ceilings: development of the Career Pathways Survey. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 27(2), pp. 68-80.
Analysis of Women and Career Advancement in Lebanon Sample Answer
Glass-ceiling barriers encountered by women in Lebanon
The under-representation of women in the leadership cadre has been a social trend ever since. Research demonstrates that while history has espoused the idea of masculinity where men are as good leaders over their women counterpart, this is still true today. Despite the soaring numbers of women in the leadership position, women are still seen as none-entities. One wonders whether gender should be an issue of concern when it comes to executing managerial functions. As long as women will work in a world that is dominated by male decision makers, women will always encounter hindrances that limit their career aspirations towards the top. A time-honored description for the minority of women in leadership positions is the perpetuation of stereotypes, discrimination and glass ceiling against women managers (Auster 1993). This paper sets out to examine how women in Lebanon encounter glass-ceiling barriers at workplaces. The ascension of women to management positions at workplace is largely undermined by mac the or social-variables. This attitude is underpinned by the social function model, which contents that societies are old-fashioned by nature and hence generate and reinforce gender disparities in values that cut across gender classification. The Lebanese society for instance, has been reluctant to move away from traditions that happen to push women into a certain corner (Smith, Crittenden & Caputi 2012). The socio-cultural ethos and anticipations in the Lebanon perspective are intensified by virtue of the interplay flanking the patriarchal nature of these communities, masculine attributes and Islam. In reality, gender categorization in Lebanon is largely heightened by the interaction between the patriarchy in a society that bestows the obligation to provide family needs and security on masculinity an aspect that draws sharp differences in gender functions between men and women (Bombuwela & De Alwis 2013). Islam teaching for example, tends to accord men pre-eminence and dominance over the women, especially when it comes to monetary responsibility, inheritance and marriage among others. Ultimately, this close knit socio-cultural fabric is largely the main barrier that hinders the career development of women in Lebanon. The second slant suggests that professional advancement of women in leadership positions is barred by the structural and mindset bottlenecks that are deep-rooted at the company’s meso-level. From the Lebanese context, female physicians and caregivers have cited not just gender discrimination at workplaces but also the lack of a family-friendly policy framework that would otherwise help working mothers strike a balance between work and family chores. Again, it appears that most organisations in Lebanon have failed to formulate policies that outlaw discrimination at work (Pillai, Prasad & Thomas 2011). Nonetheless, discrimination at places of work in Lebanon starts with a flawed recruitment process that favors men over women. Moreover, the right training and professional growth prospects are never accorded to women. On the contrary, male employees in Lebanon have access to a wide array of prospects when it comes to getting leadership positions and get promotion rather fast. Another reason why women are underrepresented in management positions is because they lack temperament qualities and intellectual capital required to engage in decision-making opportunities. Because of lagging behind in the pursuit of education, personality attributes like aggression and risk taking, coupled with many years of inexperience, women are obviously disadvantaged when it comes to leadership or management positions. The desire for women to be at the top in terms of decision making is thwarted simply because they are committed to raring their families (O’Connor 2001). The truth is that the surge in educational attainment of Lebanese woman refutes the perception that women from this region of the world are under-represented in management positions (Smith, Crittenden & Caputi 2012). However, despite this impressive performance of women in the last 20 years, social constructs are just not allowing women to showcase what they have. It appears like women threat the social dominance of men, hence ready to maintain the old order through proxy. That’s how unfortunate and unreasonable traditions can get.
Analysis of Women and Career Advancement in Lebanon Bibliography
Auster, E. R., 1993. Demystifying the GC: Organizational and interpersonal dynamics of gender bias. Business and the Contemporary World, Volume 5, pp. 47-68.
Bombuwela, P. M. & De Alwis, C. A., 2013. Effects of Glass Ceiling on Women Career Development in Private Sector Organizations “Case of Sri Lanka. Journal of Competitiveness, 5(2), pp. 3-19.
O’Connor, V.J. 2001. Women and men in senior management: a different needs hypothesis Women in Management Review, 16(8), pp. 400-404.
Pillai, K. R., Prasad, S. & Thomas, J. 2011. Why do Women Still Experience Downward Gravitation in the Corporate Ladder? A Close Look at Glass Ceiling in Bahrain. Research and Practice in Human Resource Management, 19(1), 1-10
Smith, P., Crittenden, N. & Caputi, P., 2012. Measuring women’s beliefs about glass ceilings: development of the Career Pathways Survey. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 27(2), pp. 68-80.
