The Glass Ceiling is gone for women Research Paper

The Glass Ceiling is gone for women - Research Paper Example Of course, examples of favoritism in the workplace of some form will likely always take place but suggesting that somehow there has been a secretive, concerted, global conspiracy by immoral companies directed against women is ludicrous. This essay discredits the glass ceiling myth by exploring the arguments by the faction who would support the premise and by introduce perspective and context into the discussion. Before examining the multiple aspects of the imagined wage gap in the workplace between women and men, one undeniable facet should be addressed. This country functions on a capitalistic system. Companies small and large, in every service and industry, have one central objective which is to make money, the more the merrier. Consequently, it is an economic certainty that if a corporation could employ women who would agree to 25 percent less salary than a man to do the same task, as is commonly claimed, they would only hire women. Since this hasn’t occurred either nationa lly or locally, it can be assumed that there exists no gender-based discrepancies in wages, no unspoken scheme to discriminate against females, no glass ceiling. A study which surveyed almost 900 companies of assorted sizes found that approximately half said that it was at least somewhat probable its next CEO would be a woman. Forty years ago this would not have been the case when women, motivated by economic need, began entering the workforce in greater numbers. However, forty years later, after women gradually became more career oriented, they are just as likely to assume the top position in businesses as men, right on schedule. It is only realistic to assume that there was a discrepancy among the genders in holding the upper echelon positions in the early years of the historic role redefinition that began in the early 1970’s. However, â€Å"the rhetoric of the feminist movement in those early years decrying the gap in pay and position has not changed since that time even though that gap has been all but eradicated as a result of the natural evolutionary assimilation process.† (McNutt, 2002). In spite of all evidence to the contrary, the glass ceiling myth continues and has advanced to the point of being broadly thought of and accepted as true, but the circumstances have evolved over the past four decades. According to a national survey, today, a women’s paycheck is about 97 percent the rate their male colleagues receive. The statistic that is usually cited when comparing women’s earnings is they earn only 75 percent of what men are paid. This was ‘substantiated’ by the Women’s Policy Research in conjunction with the AFL-CIO. The cooperative study only included woman aged 50 and older, most of which were not as highly educated as their male colleagues. When today’s young women are in their 50’s, this circumstance will not be the case, in fact, and the opposite will be. â€Å"As opposed to the â⠂¬Ëœdisco era,’ now, the majority of associate, bachelor and master degrees are awarded to women. Forty percent of doctorate degrees are accepted by women. This illustrates again how the times have changed but the arguments supporting the existence of glass ceiling have not† (McNutt, 2002). Other research has shown that women, universally, earn about three-quarters what men receive. Assuming this information is up to date, which