Are women still banging their heads against the glass ceiling?

The term "glass ceiling" was coined more than twenty years ago by The Wall Street Journal to describe the barriers that women face in the workplace. The word "ceiling" suggests that women are blocked from advancing in their careers, and the term "glass" is used because the ceiling is not always discernable.

Glass ceilings are still found in workplaces, not only in the discrimination of pay scales, but is also marked by sexual harassment, exploitation at work and also as a feeling of insecurity in women due to conduct of the opposite sex. Women struggle to incarnate their own personality in spite of restriction of gender discrimination. A workplace should consider the ability of an individual and not the issues of ‘glass ceiling’ based on sex, religion, culture and race of minority class.

But, to the contrary, some studies on this issue have concluded that women are actually to blame for the "glass ceiling" They cite responses that indicate that women underestimate their own performance, suggesting a lack of confidence in the workplace, therefore creating the glass ceiling themselves. But, at no time did the study question why they underestimated their own performances, leaving the possibility that the "glass ceiling" itself could be the reason.

Perhaps it could be the absence of role models at the highest executive levels, considering only 2.6 percent of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are female. Another recent study could shed light on the reasons women underestimate their workplace performance – that study showed that employers consider fathers to be “more competent and committed” than their childless counterparts but mothers are 100 percent less likely to be hired, offered $11,000 less in pay, and ranked as “less competent and less committed” than non-mothers. Not to mention that other workplace barriers such as pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, and pay discrimination could lead to decreased self confidence.

During this time of economic desperation, women should be given equal chances to succeed and accomplish their goals in the workforce without undue discrimination.Law requires the workplace to be free from discrimination and judgment when it comes to hiring and advancement. The world is changing, and it is time for the workplace to make a final turn toward equality among workers, both male and female.

Work-Life Balance

Are you a workaholic? I am, and sometimes I worry that I'm shutting myself off to the rest of the world. A recent article in Business Week by Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. really hit home for me. Mr Weinstein reminds us that"...managing your life wisely means giving due time not just to work but to family, friends, community, self, and spirit. You wouldn't think of spending most of your work day talking with one client on the phone. Why, then, is it OK to devote so much time to your job when you don't give non-work-related things the attention they deserve? "

I am a writer and I love to write. I spend at least 3-5 hours every day writing, even when I don't have an assignment. Besides the actual act of writing, I am constantly engaged in research and reading. I have a craving for learning stuff. Now you may ask 'what's so bad about that? Seems like there were be plenty of time left over for friends and family.' Well, I forgot to mention that I also run a successful business out of my home, which eats up most of the rest of my time during the day.

Now, this week was a slow one and I had five days off to do what I wanted. And what did I do? Did I call my friends and do something fun?go out to dinner? to a concert? to a play? No, I sat and wrote and accumulated 4 or 5 extra saved articles, to use in case I didn't have the time to meet my article writing obligations. Oh, and I started playing around with poetry. I used to write a lot of poetry years ago and am just getting back into it.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day (I mean the WHOLE day) writing an Ode to Barbaro, a horse that had a terrible accident during one of the Triple Crown races in 2006. I suppose this qualifies for "time with self", as Weinstein suggests. But what about family, friends, community, and spirit? I really think Mr Weinstein is right. But I'm so addicted to writing right now that nothing else seems to satisfy that urge. But I'd like to give it a try.

He offers a list of popular reasons for working too much. They are: to make sure you keep your job, to make more money, because your job is just so demanding you have no other alternative, and you just love to work. I guess I fall into that last category. I really do love to work. But as Mr Weinstein points out, "...A fully human life is a life in balance, and that means giving due time to all of the things that enrich us, fulfill us, and make our lives worth living. When Freud said that work and love were essential components of a happy life, he didn't mean that these were one and the same thing."

If you have gotten in the habit of working too much, you might want to consider getting better balance between your work and your life. Okay, just what does work-life balance mean? According to experts, we know what it does not mean. It does not mean striving for equal amounts of work and personal life activiities. This would be unrealistic. And you will probably not have the same balance all the time. It will vary from day to day. Finally, because we have different lives and priorities, work-life balance will vary from person to person.

No matter how you acquire balance between the two, you are dealing with the same issues: productivity vs enjoyment. Looking at it this way makes it a little easier to understand. Another gauge is to ask yourself if you're happy. If the answer is no, then you might need to either step up the work side of your life, so it satisifies that need for productivity, or increase the time spent with friends and community in pleasureable activities, or soothe your spirit with yoga, massage or other spiritual endeavors

How do I know all this? Well, all I can tell you is that I'm speaking from experience. I am in my seventies and I am very happy. I have had to address the balance in my life many times, as I tend to want to work all the time. In order to do that, I've registered for various classes, become more active in my church, joined a health club, taken yoga, made regular monthly dinner dates with a close friend, seen a play, gone to a museum, and engaged in various other activities which got me out of the house and increased the time spent with people. My activites varied from time to time, but it all made a difference in my feeling of well-being and happiness. I still write a lot, but some of that writing belongs on the "pleasurable" side of my live-balance equation.

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Looking for jobs in all the right places

You may not have thought of this lately; we have gotten so used to looking for jobs in the Sunday paper. But the internet is a great place to, if not find a job, get an idea of the myriad of different kinds of jobs available today. Many of the job offers are scams, so be careful to check them out. Be sure to go to reputable sites to get an idea of the variety that exists. The digital world is crawling with positions, full and part time that just may be calling for the skills you already possess. If your job has been cut back or if you've lost it, due to the recession, a part-time or home-placed job may be just the thing for you.

Try browsing through some of the sites, such as http://jobs.aol.com . Some of the job offers that seem to be popular now are: tutorer, childcare/nanny, wedding or event planner, free-lance writer, caterer, desktop publisher, and many more. All of these can be done from home. You may just be looking for a second part-time job to tide you over until there's an upswing in the economy. Or, maybe, you're happy with your present job. Now's the time to try out the skills you may have in areas other than your present job or career. It may just turn into something long-term.

I'm not suggesting that you hire someone to help you find a job, although that may be an option. I am suggesting that you get your creative juices going and identify the skills that you may or may not even know you have, and use them to your advantage. As a result of our many and varied past experiences, we all have skills we don't necessarily use in the workplace. Focus on those skills. Delve into your passion. A hobby can be turned into a business. Look at some of the skills you learned in those pottery or photography classes. Explore tutorials on the internet that pique your interest. You may know more than you think you do.

I have a friend who liked making her own jewelry. She came up with the idea of using chain maille to create rings, bracelets, and necklaces. She has since turned that passion into a business by the name of Rapt in Maille (clever?) Check it out: www.raptinmaille.blogspot.com . Another friend loved gardening in her own backyard. She turned that passion into a garden design business. My hairdresser decided she wanted to work for herself, so she started her own salon in her home.

My assistant, at my B&B, remarked this morning "...sure, there are blue collar and low paying jobs available out there, but what business man is going to want to drive a truck?" Well, I answered her, if you're a business man, driving a truck may just get your foot in the door and turn into an opportuniy for you to start your own trucking business. It takes a little time and thought and large amounts of energy, passion, and work, but it's definitely possible. Think about it!

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