Meyerson, D.E. & Fletcher, J.K. (2000). A modest manifesto for shattering the glass ceiling.
In: Reader in Gender, Work and Organization, Robin Ely, Erica Foldy & Maureen Scully (eds.)
Malden: Blackwell: 230-240. (10 p.)
The new millennium provided an occasion to celebrate the remarkable progress made by women.
However, the glass ceiling still remained, and statistics suggest that as women approach the top of
the corporate ladder, they jump off, because they are frustrated with the business
world. Nonetheless, this article believes that the glass ceiling will be shattered through a strategy
that uses small wins. This means incremental changes aimed at biases so entrenched in the system
that they are not noticed until they are gone. The strategy also benefits men and the organization as
a whole.
The problem with no name
A longer time ago, it was easy to spot gender discrimination in the corporate world. Today such
obvious cases are rare, but this doesn’t mean gender inequity has vanished. On the contrary, it has
gone underground, where discrimination is woven into the fabric of an organization’s status quo,
which is why most people do not notice or question it. But they still create a subtle pattern of
systemic disadvantage, which blocks women from career advancement.
The roots of inequity
The barriers to women’s advancement in organizations today have a relatively straightforward cause.
Most organizations have been created by and for men and are based on male
experiences. Organizational definitions of competence and leadership are still predicated on traits
stereotypically associated with men, even though many women have entered the workforce and add
enormous value.
However, that the problem arises from a male-based culture does not mean men are to blame. Not
all men benefit from how work is currently organized and are working hard to create a fair
environment for both sexes. Women are also not to blame, but unfortunately research show that
women do blame themselves. Over the years, organizations have used three approaches
to destroy gender discrimination, each one implying that women are somehow to blame because
they just don’t fit in.
Tall people in a short world
The article uses a metaphor of tall and short people to explain the three approaches. Translating this
to the corporate world, the first approach encourages women to adopt more masculine
attributes and assimilate. The second approach accommodates the unique needs and situations of
women. And the third approach emphasizes the differences women bring to the workplace.
These approaches have helped advance women’s equity, but they have gone as far as they can,
because they offer solutions that deal with the symptoms of gender inequity rather than the sources
of inequity itself.
A fourth approach: linking equity and effectiveness
Therefore, a fourth approach was created. Since this world has been in the making for hundreds of
years, its assumptions and practices can only be undone by a persistent campaign of incremental
changes that discover and destroy the deeply embedded roots of discrimination. The fourth
approach begins with recognizing there is a problem, followed by a diagnosis which searches for the
causes. Then people have to get together to talk about the work culture and determine
which practices are undermining effectiveness, which is then followed by experimentation. When an
experiment only fixes the symptom and loses its link to the underlying cause, other incremental
changes must be tried before a real win occurs.
In: Reader in Gender, Work and Organization, Robin Ely, Erica Foldy & Maureen Scully (eds.)
Malden: Blackwell: 230-240. (10 p.)
The new millennium provided an occasion to celebrate the remarkable progress made by women.
However, the glass ceiling still remained, and statistics suggest that as women approach the top of
the corporate ladder, they jump off, because they are frustrated with the business
world. Nonetheless, this article believes that the glass ceiling will be shattered through a strategy
that uses small wins. This means incremental changes aimed at biases so entrenched in the system
that they are not noticed until they are gone. The strategy also benefits men and the organization as
a whole.
The problem with no name
A longer time ago, it was easy to spot gender discrimination in the corporate world. Today such
obvious cases are rare, but this doesn’t mean gender inequity has vanished. On the contrary, it has
gone underground, where discrimination is woven into the fabric of an organization’s status quo,
which is why most people do not notice or question it. But they still create a subtle pattern of
systemic disadvantage, which blocks women from career advancement.
The roots of inequity
The barriers to women’s advancement in organizations today have a relatively straightforward cause.
Most organizations have been created by and for men and are based on male
experiences. Organizational definitions of competence and leadership are still predicated on traits
stereotypically associated with men, even though many women have entered the workforce and add
enormous value.
However, that the problem arises from a male-based culture does not mean men are to blame. Not
all men benefit from how work is currently organized and are working hard to create a fair
environment for both sexes. Women are also not to blame, but unfortunately research show that
women do blame themselves. Over the years, organizations have used three approaches
to destroy gender discrimination, each one implying that women are somehow to blame because
they just don’t fit in.
Tall people in a short world
The article uses a metaphor of tall and short people to explain the three approaches. Translating this
to the corporate world, the first approach encourages women to adopt more masculine
attributes and assimilate. The second approach accommodates the unique needs and situations of
women. And the third approach emphasizes the differences women bring to the workplace.
These approaches have helped advance women’s equity, but they have gone as far as they can,
because they offer solutions that deal with the symptoms of gender inequity rather than the sources
of inequity itself.
A fourth approach: linking equity and effectiveness
Therefore, a fourth approach was created. Since this world has been in the making for hundreds of
years, its assumptions and practices can only be undone by a persistent campaign of incremental
changes that discover and destroy the deeply embedded roots of discrimination. The fourth
approach begins with recognizing there is a problem, followed by a diagnosis which searches for the
causes. Then people have to get together to talk about the work culture and determine
which practices are undermining effectiveness, which is then followed by experimentation. When an
experiment only fixes the symptom and loses its link to the underlying cause, other incremental
changes must be tried before a real win occurs.
