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Abstract
Women are underrepresented in the leadership ranks across society. Research and the development of strategies to assist corporate women in breaking the glass ceiling is frequent and ongoing. Less prevalent has been a similar exploration of the barriers that women in academe confront in regards to their upward mobility and subsequent leadership. This article analyzes how academic women experience the glass ceiling, how research done on corporate women can inform much needed study of barriers to academic women's upward mobility, and finally, how human resource development practices may benefit advancing women's leadership in higher education.
Women are underrepresented in the leadership ranks across society. The glass ceiling prevails relegating women to the sidelines or slowing their career progress. The glass ceiling is a metaphor for the invisible hairier that prevents women from reaching the upper echelons of management. It is created by invisible forces of culture, habit, and power that serve to keep women "in their place," that is, subordinate to men.
Women's career development differs from men and requires alternative support, although little institutional support has been available for the unique developmental needs of women, particularly women of color. Women's marginalization is particularly poignant in higher education. This traditionally patriarchal environment has provided limited access for women leaders and administrators. This article addresses these issues and offers research directions and strategies grounded in human resource development for advancing women in academia.
Women's Career Development
Women make up nearly half of the U. S. workforce, yet experience discrimination on the basis of position, pay, and promotion. White women fare better than women of color who often receive lesser wages, jobs and promotions as compared to middle class white men (Hackett and Byars, 1996). Lach (1999) reports on a Catalyst study of 1,700 professional women of color that 47 percent feel their advancement opportunities have improved over the past five years in comparison to 60 percent of white women. Only 22 percent felt that their bosses were trained to manage a diverse workforce. 73 percent of the women in the Catalyst study had strong intentions to leave their organizations viewed company diversity programs as failing to address subtle race bias. Only 22 percent felt that their bosses were trained to manage a diverse workforce.