Asian Americans only make up 4.6% of the population of the United States. They make up 14% of the science and engineering work force. With these numbers one would expect a proportionate increase in leadership but this is not the case. In academia and federal institutes, Asian Americans encounter what some call a "bamboo ceiling," similar to what female scientists faced 30 years ago. Asian Americans account for 6.2% of faculty in the school systems and only 2.4% hold administrative positions this compares to the 9.4% held by African Americans and 3.5% by Latino Americans.
Many demographics are being affected by the glass ceiling so how can we fix it? Time? Most people think that time will fix this problem that with the baby boomer generation finally retiring and not being in administrative positions. The upcoming generation might have a different outlook on things. What do you think will help with the glass ceiling problem?
-Aimee Rankovich
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2009_05_29/science.opms.r0900072
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Look at it this way
This week is Student Government Association 2011 Diversity Week and I thought it would be good to discuss the week and compare it to some of the concepts we've learned in MQM about diversity.
Every year SGA has diversity week and they co sponsor with many organizations on campus to have many different programs that are interesting, relevant, and fun to students. This year their week consists of different movies on race, culture and politics, discussions and panels about diversity, the different languages amongst different cultures and so much more! Here is a link to the list of events
In Organizational Behavior we have discussed how organizations, mainly companies manage diversity and the affects diversity can have on the organization. I want to take these same ideas and compare it to how ISU and different organizations on campus manage diversity and its affects on campus. 12% of Illinois States students are from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education. We have diversity all over the campus. Like the different majors, organizations, lifestyles, ethnicity, job titles, religions, and perspectives individuals have on campus. I work in the Office of Admissions and usually prospective students and their parents want to know about the campus statistics when it comes to diversity and we refer to the Illinois State University Fact Book. In this fact book you can view everything from male to female ratio, ACT ratios, and how many students live on campus compared to living off campus.
ISU just like corporations have to manage demographic and cultural diversity to make sure different requirements are met like enrollment. With this is mind you can see how we can apply this to the concepts we have learned in class:Just like a corporation ISU can benefit from properly managing diversity by advocating higher Creativity in decision making, which can lead to higher retention rates, and better understanding and services for students, which can lead to a less hostile environment. By simply applying just two of the concepts mentioned in the book we can begin to see higher retention rates and higher graduation rates all because students are more satisfied with the environment. If the schools show that they care and understand ALL students needs then why wouldn't students be satisfied? If enrollments rates are good then everyone gets paid and the school can continue to running. With this being said it is imperative for our school to have satisfied students and because we live in a diverse world with diverse people, ISU must learn how to manage diversity. Because we have such a diverse campus it is important for the university, professors, faculty, staff, students and organizations to properly help educate about these differences. The campus has over 300 registered student organizations all of which are different. This along with the campus diversity gives us a competitive advantage to other universities. With programs like diversity week I think ISU will begin to see the positive benefits diversity has on campus.
The question I have for you is how do you feel about diversity on campus? is it something you notice/pay attention to?
Quasheena Ellis
Every year SGA has diversity week and they co sponsor with many organizations on campus to have many different programs that are interesting, relevant, and fun to students. This year their week consists of different movies on race, culture and politics, discussions and panels about diversity, the different languages amongst different cultures and so much more! Here is a link to the list of events
In Organizational Behavior we have discussed how organizations, mainly companies manage diversity and the affects diversity can have on the organization. I want to take these same ideas and compare it to how ISU and different organizations on campus manage diversity and its affects on campus. 12% of Illinois States students are from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education. We have diversity all over the campus. Like the different majors, organizations, lifestyles, ethnicity, job titles, religions, and perspectives individuals have on campus. I work in the Office of Admissions and usually prospective students and their parents want to know about the campus statistics when it comes to diversity and we refer to the Illinois State University Fact Book. In this fact book you can view everything from male to female ratio, ACT ratios, and how many students live on campus compared to living off campus.
ISU just like corporations have to manage demographic and cultural diversity to make sure different requirements are met like enrollment. With this is mind you can see how we can apply this to the concepts we have learned in class:Just like a corporation ISU can benefit from properly managing diversity by advocating higher Creativity in decision making, which can lead to higher retention rates, and better understanding and services for students, which can lead to a less hostile environment. By simply applying just two of the concepts mentioned in the book we can begin to see higher retention rates and higher graduation rates all because students are more satisfied with the environment. If the schools show that they care and understand ALL students needs then why wouldn't students be satisfied? If enrollments rates are good then everyone gets paid and the school can continue to running. With this being said it is imperative for our school to have satisfied students and because we live in a diverse world with diverse people, ISU must learn how to manage diversity. Because we have such a diverse campus it is important for the university, professors, faculty, staff, students and organizations to properly help educate about these differences. The campus has over 300 registered student organizations all of which are different. This along with the campus diversity gives us a competitive advantage to other universities. With programs like diversity week I think ISU will begin to see the positive benefits diversity has on campus.
The question I have for you is how do you feel about diversity on campus? is it something you notice/pay attention to?
Quasheena Ellis
The Arab Glass Ceiling
When I was doing some research about the glass ceiling I came across this article about how the Arabs in Israel have never been able to work in a position of their potential. The article goes on to explain that the Arabs are overtrained for positions they are working because their glass ceiling does not allow them to move up in their positions. Thousands of qualified Arab engineers are either unemployed, working in unrelated fields or teaching high school even though technology is the country's main growth industry. The need for engineers are so high that around 8,000 highly skilled jobs are being outsourced even though they have the skilled workers in Israel. Most of Arabs are unemployed, working in different fields, or must drive hours to get to work everyday. This article interested me because here is a minority in another country dealing with the same conflicts. Arabs make up 20% of the population in Israel with Jews making up most of the rest. Arabs can work twice as hard as Jew and not be looked at once for a position. I bring this up because if as a minority in Israel the same must be happening here in the United States.
Do you believe there is any way around the glass ceiling? There will always be a minority in a certain location. In the United States there are more women than men but women are the ones hitting the glass ceiling?
Here is the link to the article....
http://www.momentmag.com/moment/issues/2011/02/glass_ceiling.html
-Aimee Rankovich
Do you believe there is any way around the glass ceiling? There will always be a minority in a certain location. In the United States there are more women than men but women are the ones hitting the glass ceiling?
Here is the link to the article....
http://www.momentmag.com/moment/issues/2011/02/glass_ceiling.html
-Aimee Rankovich
Bayer Unit Accused of Sex Discrimination
I just came across this lawsuit and found it very interesting!
The lawsuit also says that in the news letter from October 2010 that it suggested that men make better managers than women because women are prone to “mood swings” and “backstabbing.” It goes on to say that the senior managers of the company were against women who had to take pregnancy leaves and two even stated that they needed to stop hiring younger women. Furthermore, the suit states that two of the plaintiffs had an annual salary that was $30,000 less than that paid to men at the same level. The plaintiffs are seeking back pay, compensatory damages, and a change in the company’s policies to ensure that in the future, women will be treated equally.
Bayer plans to defend itself by denying that these allegations are true. They say that they are a company that does not discriminate and they provide an equal treatment to all employees.
Things like this are constantly happening in the work place. People with authority sometimes think that they can get by with just about anything. I am glad that some women in the company finally stood up for themselves, especially if all of the alligations are ture. Do you agree with what the plaintiffs are seeking? Do you think the senior managers that made these statments deserved to be punished as well?
Nina Pysson
It's 2011, and Women are still looking through the glass ceiling.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/21/women-glass-ceiling-still-exists-top-jobs
According to the guardian.co.uk website article about women still currently facing the glass ceiling, 73% of women responding to a to a report says that in the UK, barriers are still strong for women wanting to get to a senior management or board-level position. On a lighter side, 38% of men that responded to this report truly believe there is a glass ceiling; assuming the other 62% don't think there is such thing as a glass ceiling.
Again, as mentioned many times before, I agree with the women that the glass ceiling does exist, and there should definitely be an end to that all across the globe. If young women get offered a promotion in large organizations, more often than not, it is more riskier to take this position than to go out and start their own business. Having to be able to negotiate their childcare lives with their new managerial lives is not a simple walk in the park. According to our Flatworld book, with negotiating, the young woman would first analyze and gather information of what this promotion might entail. Then, the woman would check out other alternatives or use her BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) to effectively think through when deciding whether to accept the offer or not. The next phase would be to present the facts to either someone close to the young woman, or any of her co-workers, including any higher-ups. After presenting, the young woman would meet with who might be offering her the promotion and go over goals from both sides to come to an agreement. Finally, the young woman would come to closure with the offerer and give them a solid answer of what they chose during all of the research and work during the negotiation process. This negotiation could end up having the young woman not being able to spend much time with her newborn, but she can definitely negotiate to make an increase in her salary in order to provide for her family, since her husband will most likely be taking a leave of absence from work.
From my first hand experience of dealing with women in managerial positions, I've been though it all: the not so smart boss, the rude boss, the boss I really like, etc. I have no idea what each are getting paid compared to their male counterparts, but I do know that each worked hard at getting to where they are at, and most of them took little to no time to get to that position. Working for a Fortune 500 company opened my eyes to see that there are a good amount of women with a lot of power and a lot of responsibilities (i.e. Pat Hemingway-Hall - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois C.E.O.). Most of the higher-up women I was in contact with was always busy and never had much time to talk like some of the men higher-ups I was in contact with. Now that I look back at it, I wonder if the glass ceiling effect could be taking place and most people there don't realize it.
My supervisor and manager (both females) were smart about dealing with stress and never took it out upon my co-workers and I. I think that part of the reason why the glass ceiling still exists is because higher-up men assume that most women can't handle the stress that comes when working in managerial positions, especially since women tend to go through different emotional phases in their lives. But now I know that this assumption is not true, I can argue that if a woman has the same position as a man, with the same amount of work, or more, there should be absolutely no reason as to why there is a pay difference.
Both IBM and Blue Cross Blue Shield (Illinois) are both famous companies around the nation that are doing great even with this economic downturn, and are ran by female C.E.O.s. Do you think that there should be more female C.E.O.s in major companies? This way female managers and supervisors can be encouraged to continue to work hard and eventually get the full dollar for every dollar a male makes. Or do you think that doesn't really matter and it all depends on the individual?
Thanks.
Jon Locke
According to the guardian.co.uk website article about women still currently facing the glass ceiling, 73% of women responding to a to a report says that in the UK, barriers are still strong for women wanting to get to a senior management or board-level position. On a lighter side, 38% of men that responded to this report truly believe there is a glass ceiling; assuming the other 62% don't think there is such thing as a glass ceiling.
Again, as mentioned many times before, I agree with the women that the glass ceiling does exist, and there should definitely be an end to that all across the globe. If young women get offered a promotion in large organizations, more often than not, it is more riskier to take this position than to go out and start their own business. Having to be able to negotiate their childcare lives with their new managerial lives is not a simple walk in the park. According to our Flatworld book, with negotiating, the young woman would first analyze and gather information of what this promotion might entail. Then, the woman would check out other alternatives or use her BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) to effectively think through when deciding whether to accept the offer or not. The next phase would be to present the facts to either someone close to the young woman, or any of her co-workers, including any higher-ups. After presenting, the young woman would meet with who might be offering her the promotion and go over goals from both sides to come to an agreement. Finally, the young woman would come to closure with the offerer and give them a solid answer of what they chose during all of the research and work during the negotiation process. This negotiation could end up having the young woman not being able to spend much time with her newborn, but she can definitely negotiate to make an increase in her salary in order to provide for her family, since her husband will most likely be taking a leave of absence from work.
From my first hand experience of dealing with women in managerial positions, I've been though it all: the not so smart boss, the rude boss, the boss I really like, etc. I have no idea what each are getting paid compared to their male counterparts, but I do know that each worked hard at getting to where they are at, and most of them took little to no time to get to that position. Working for a Fortune 500 company opened my eyes to see that there are a good amount of women with a lot of power and a lot of responsibilities (i.e. Pat Hemingway-Hall - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois C.E.O.). Most of the higher-up women I was in contact with was always busy and never had much time to talk like some of the men higher-ups I was in contact with. Now that I look back at it, I wonder if the glass ceiling effect could be taking place and most people there don't realize it.
My supervisor and manager (both females) were smart about dealing with stress and never took it out upon my co-workers and I. I think that part of the reason why the glass ceiling still exists is because higher-up men assume that most women can't handle the stress that comes when working in managerial positions, especially since women tend to go through different emotional phases in their lives. But now I know that this assumption is not true, I can argue that if a woman has the same position as a man, with the same amount of work, or more, there should be absolutely no reason as to why there is a pay difference.
Both IBM and Blue Cross Blue Shield (Illinois) are both famous companies around the nation that are doing great even with this economic downturn, and are ran by female C.E.O.s. Do you think that there should be more female C.E.O.s in major companies? This way female managers and supervisors can be encouraged to continue to work hard and eventually get the full dollar for every dollar a male makes. Or do you think that doesn't really matter and it all depends on the individual?
Thanks.
Jon Locke
Monday, March 21, 2011
A 'Glass Ceiling' of Misperceptions - Minorities and the Glass Ceiling
I decided to choose this article because it paints a very interesting picture on minorities and their perceived glass ceiling. Although the article is quite old, I think it still holds relevance today and is very thorough in its content. This article mainly focused on Hispanic and Asian American minorities and the differences each group experiences and perceives in relation to discrimination in life and the workplace. I have gathered from the article that discrimination differences seem to differ based on education and socio-economic status. In other words, if a Hispanic is well educated and has a high level of wealth, they usually believe anyone can achieve what they have achieved and discrimination was not a roadblock in reaching that achievement. For example, the first person mentioned in the article is Richard Lopez. His family has been in America for four generations, he grew up in a nice neighborhood, and his first language is English. Richard Lopez does not understand how fellow Hispanics can complain about discrimination and has even been offended when asked if he has had affirmative action benefits to reach the achievements he has made. Richard’s situation and upbringing may affect his perception of discrimination entirely.
On the other hand, a Chinese man named Ray Chin has a different view. Him and his family fled communist China in the 50s; he was forced to work during his teenage years doing menial jobs. Although he is moderately successful today he states, “we’re stifled by that glass ceiling.” Chin says that since Asian Americans have reached a certain point they are viewed as not needing any help to further advance. The article references a study throughout the text and this study has shown that Hispanics and Asian American must battle stereotypes that can limit their full potential. Even worse, both ethnic groups either feel stereotypical against each other or even about members of their own ethnic group. Basically, instead of working as a team and combating discrimination together, they actually fight each other. This obviously accomplishes nothing and simply raises that glass ceiling higher for both groups of people.
Both groups agree that language is a huge barrier in reaching the glass ceiling. One Hispanic recounted a story where he was refused service at a restaurant because the order taker could not understand his bad English. It’s almost unanimous that in order to succeed in America, English is necessary. I believe many immigrants or minorities wish to learn English and there should be programs setup in order to take advantage of that opportunity. America can benefit from these groups by growing their ability and potential, which would grow the overall economy. A majority of both groups agreed that they do not want government handouts. They want protections in place and in force to protect discrimination from occurring. This is definitely needed so minorities can break the glass ceiling that prevents them from rising up to the top.
The article does mention a point about minorities clinging to only those within their community and only speaking their native tongue. This isolation makes it so these minorities cannot rise up and succeed. If they do not feel comfortable engaging with white Americans they may not make connections that could facilitate career growth. This is why diversity and inclusion programs are essential to breaking down these barriers. Most people would be more than welcome to make everyone feel included, but if the minority is hiding in isolation most people will not take the time to strike down those walls of isolation. Diversity and inclusion programs could help strike down those barriers and allow more connection and growth among people to occur.
Overall, I think this article is a very good reference point for seeing how different groups of people perceive the glass ceiling and how perceptions differ based on socio-economic class and education.
Luis Otero
How far have we come from the publish date (1995) of this article? Are we still in the same situation with the recent influx of immigrants from Hispanic countries? Are we handling this situation any different? Answer below and start discussing!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Diversity is not a four letter word
Link to article
This article was very interesting! The author is Victoria Pynchon and she talks about her views on Diversity and how it has affected her and her career. She says she didn't talk about diversity for 30 years. She says "It’s a toxic topic,” I’d say to people who asked me to comment. “I don’t want to be a woman lawyer. I just want to be a lawyer.” As her career furtheres she couldn't escape the topic of diversity and explais why diversity is such a toxic topic "If you are not a minority in American culture or a marginalized majority (women) you do not have to think about your place in the society. You are the society. You are not a “male” lawyer or a “white” doctor."-Pynchon. This Article his on a lot of the diversity issues we read in chapter 2 like the glass ceiling, race diversity, and sexual orientation in the workplace. One of her suggestions for managing diversity comes from people she respects and its to make the context of conversations about diversity positive. So instead of looking at diversity like a hindurance or issue focus in the benefits of diversity. Some benefits of diversity as we all have read from the text is higher creativey in decision making, betterunderstanding and service of customers, higher company performance, and lower litigation expenses. In the article they say by focusing on the benefits rather than the problems of diversity the workforce can begin to embrace diversity policies. I believe the more aware individuals, organization and groups (level of analysis) become about diversity the more they will start to understand it and embrace it because the benefits will outweigh the problems if its properly managed.
The question I pose is do you think by making people more aware of diversity and its benefits this will lead to a more positive approach and perception of diversity?
This article was very interesting! The author is Victoria Pynchon and she talks about her views on Diversity and how it has affected her and her career. She says she didn't talk about diversity for 30 years. She says "It’s a toxic topic,” I’d say to people who asked me to comment. “I don’t want to be a woman lawyer. I just want to be a lawyer.” As her career furtheres she couldn't escape the topic of diversity and explais why diversity is such a toxic topic "If you are not a minority in American culture or a marginalized majority (women) you do not have to think about your place in the society. You are the society. You are not a “male” lawyer or a “white” doctor."-Pynchon. This Article his on a lot of the diversity issues we read in chapter 2 like the glass ceiling, race diversity, and sexual orientation in the workplace. One of her suggestions for managing diversity comes from people she respects and its to make the context of conversations about diversity positive. So instead of looking at diversity like a hindurance or issue focus in the benefits of diversity. Some benefits of diversity as we all have read from the text is higher creativey in decision making, betterunderstanding and service of customers, higher company performance, and lower litigation expenses. In the article they say by focusing on the benefits rather than the problems of diversity the workforce can begin to embrace diversity policies. I believe the more aware individuals, organization and groups (level of analysis) become about diversity the more they will start to understand it and embrace it because the benefits will outweigh the problems if its properly managed.
The question I pose is do you think by making people more aware of diversity and its benefits this will lead to a more positive approach and perception of diversity?
Changing Demographics
So I like the idea that we could post videos to our blogs. Sometimes it gets boring reading all these articles so I decided to just type diversity in the workplace in the youtube search engine. I found an interesting video called "Diversity in the Workplace-Changing Demographics ". The video talks about Canada's labor source and how it will be shifting dramatically in the next fifteen years because the baby boomers will be retiring and dying. This means there will be an increase in younger workers in the workforce. Traditionally in the workforce diversity is underrepresented. With the decline in labor source, companies will begin to look for younger and immigrant workers to fill this gap. "Diversity will beome an essential asset." Therefore, companies need to prepare for changes that are inclusive in valuing diversity. One of the solutions they talk about in the video is Mentoring to prospective employees about job skills and duties, something we have discussed before in class and in our chapter readings.
Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3NcwShT6Y
I hope you enjoy it and let me know your thoughts!
Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3NcwShT6Y
I hope you enjoy it and let me know your thoughts!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Women More Affected by Technology Than Men
Article
I find this article interesting because it talks about how studies have shown that women are more affected by technology than men in the work environment. The article talks about how people are more connected now to their work because of the capabilities of BlackBerry smartphones and iPads. These devices have allowed people to have 24/7 access to the workplace.
It goes on to talk about how women feel guiltier when they interfere with the time that is normally meant for family. This is causing them more stress. In order to cope with this they need to come up with new strategies or set boundaries, so they do not feel so guilty. Guys on the other hand tend to be better at dealing with this situation.
Studies here are against the women. Does this mean that we shouldn’t hold women to higher standards? Should we leave the higher more stressful positions to the men? I believe that women will just have to try harder and prove that they can handle these situations just as well as anyone else. Some women are fully capable of doing these jobs and we should not jump to conclusions about all women based on this study.
Nina Pysson
Nina Pysson
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Women Top Men on Skill as Managers
Article
I chose this article because it was a more positive one about women in the workplace. According to a survey, in Australia, of more than 3,000 to male and female executive’s women make better senior managers on 15 of 16 performance measures such as leadership, decision-making, and people management. They tied with the men when it came to problem-solving.
The study goes on the talk about how men and women tend to have very different views about why women are so poorly represented at the top of corporate Australia, like the workplace culture, inflexible working arrangements, pay inequity, and personal choice. Women have different priorities than men in the workplace. They are more concerned with flexible working arrangements and equal workplace culture. This is because women tend to be more compassionate and considerate.
The article states that the results show that women tend to be more attuned than their male counterparts to the nature of their workplace culture, a factor that can drive an organisation’s success. Regardless of gender as a company you need to focus on getting right people with strong skills into the senior management positions. The study also talks about how 74% of men believe their company gives equal pay by gender, while only 43% of women believe this. This is a wide gap that can be dangerous for a company. Companies need to make sure that they treat men and women equally and don’t look like they find men superior.
Do you believe that women really do make better managers than men? Do you think that this is true in all areas of business or just certain ones?
I chose this article because it was a more positive one about women in the workplace. According to a survey, in Australia, of more than 3,000 to male and female executive’s women make better senior managers on 15 of 16 performance measures such as leadership, decision-making, and people management. They tied with the men when it came to problem-solving.
The study goes on the talk about how men and women tend to have very different views about why women are so poorly represented at the top of corporate Australia, like the workplace culture, inflexible working arrangements, pay inequity, and personal choice. Women have different priorities than men in the workplace. They are more concerned with flexible working arrangements and equal workplace culture. This is because women tend to be more compassionate and considerate.
The article states that the results show that women tend to be more attuned than their male counterparts to the nature of their workplace culture, a factor that can drive an organisation’s success. Regardless of gender as a company you need to focus on getting right people with strong skills into the senior management positions. The study also talks about how 74% of men believe their company gives equal pay by gender, while only 43% of women believe this. This is a wide gap that can be dangerous for a company. Companies need to make sure that they treat men and women equally and don’t look like they find men superior.
Do you believe that women really do make better managers than men? Do you think that this is true in all areas of business or just certain ones?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)