Women in management presents itself to companies as a great opportunity. With a great opportunity there can also be some risks that the company must take. There are risks such as a work/family conflict, dual career couples, and sexual harassment. Today organizations must be bias free and accept all genders and races of the society. With the challenges of cultural diversity organizations have to follow guidelines and must not discriminate among these groups. Since 1964 the civil rights legislation has put a stop to the discrimination of hiring on account of race, religion, or gender. To some extent it has helped, but it the amount of women and minorities succeeding into getting into top management is still scarce.
Affirmative action was taken only 40 years ago in response to working conditions. Only 40 years ago Adult white males dominated the workforce. With widespread prejudice and discrimination it was necessary to allow women and other minorities into the work force. In the beginning the affirmative action planned seemed to be a failure and organizations began to question if they were wasting their time and money into these programs. Today the situation has changed a great deal. With the workforce being mor
Today companies are addressing the issue of the change in culture in many different ways. They are using surveys, interviews and focus groups to find out he cultural values that affect women. There are also structured networks of different women to address the issues that they face in the workplace and to request changes to the senior management. With this companies have discovered that people enjoy a work place that is accepting and that meets all of their personal needs and goals. It motivates the employers to be loyal to that company. New cultural values mean a new beginning and an end to the past treatment of women in the workplace. These companies asses their needs and make changes to enforce a capable workforce. Originally many of the companies were fit to suit male employees, now they are prepared to facilitate a diverse workforce.
In the case of women in management the struggle to the top seems just out of reach. There is a certain theory called the glass ceiling. The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier that separates women and minorities from top management positions. They can see the top management positions through the ceiling but there seems to be so many different obstacles to get in the way of reaching the top. Women in the workforce also make considerably less than the male counterparts. Women that leave the corporate world to care for their children have a hard time making bac