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Ruth Simpson: School of Business and Management, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK
Yochanan Altman: Business School, University of North London, London, UK
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Received August 1999 Revised January 2000
Introduction
The concept of the "glass ceiling" has by now achieved the status of a well enshrined phenomenon, supported by conclusive evidence which asserts that women managers' careers are blocked more often than men's (e.g. Davidson and Cooper, 1992; Coe, 1992; Adler, 1993a; Cassell and Walsh, 1994; Gregg and Machin, 1993). Recent figures indicate that women in the UK still represent only 18 per cent of all managers and the higher one goes up the hierarchy the fewer women one finds: 10 per cent of senior managers and a mere 3.6 per cent of directors are women (Social Focus, 1998). In this article we wish to argue, however, that the glass ceiling is in place but it is not block-solid. In fact, we show that the glass ceiling is time bounded and that age is a critical discerning factor. Hence, while older women may be disadvantaged, some young women appear to be presented with more opportunities than their male counterparts.
The significance of age in the differential career progress of male and female managers is illustrated by recent research which indicates that women may well be reaching equivalent positions earlier than men. Women managers tend to be younger than men (Coe, 1992; Davidson and Cooper, 1992). A survey by the Institute of Management suggests that there is as much as an eight-year age gap between male and female managers at any given management level. This age difference, which has as yet received scant research attention, may indicate that women are progressing at a faster pace than men. This view is supported by a recent EOC (1998) report which suggests that young women may be "quicker off the mark" in starting their careers. Women are more successful than men in finding jobs after graduation so that in their 20s they are not only keeping pace with, but are frequently outpacing, their male counterparts. The same is borne out in a recent survey of UK university graduates which shows young women in their last year at college as having a more proactive approach to job search: they attend more...