Leading Effectively e-Newsletter - May 2008 Issue

No More Glass Ceiling: New Thinking on Women in Leadership
A New Conversation: The Narrow Band, the Balance Beam and the Labyrinth

The status and roles of women at work have evolved in the two decades since we began talking of the "glass ceiling." About 23 percent of chief executives of all organizations as well as presidents of colleges and universities are women, and low- and mid-level management is heavily populated with women. Hillary Clinton, Condoleeza Rice, Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, among others, have been very visible in roles that were unimaginable in the 1980's. Yet women make up only three percent of Fortune 500 CEOs. Is the glass ceiling the cause, or is something else going on?

CCL's Sara King and Northwestern University professor Alice Eagly are among those who say the reality for women leaders has been changing. The conversation about women and leadership should move beyond the image of breaking the glass ceiling and instead examine the obstacles, pressures and trade-offs women face at every stage of their careers.

"Women are achieving professional successes that were possible only for men just a short time ago," says King. "At the same time, the challenges women face in the process of earning their success are very real."

King and colleagues at CCL have studied the leadership skills and experiences of high-achieving women and worked closely with others through the Center's Women's Leadership Program. "The paths that today's women leaders take is one that involves many choices and trade-offs," says King. "Women have to negotiate organizational and cultural norms and build their careers in ways that differ, in many ways, from men."

Eagly, author with Linda Carli of the recently released book Through the Labyrinth: the Truth about How Women Become Leaders, believes the image of the labyrinth is more apt than the image of the glass ceiling for today's women. "There isn't an absolute barrier stopping progress at a high level but rather a progressive falling away of women at every level," she says. In the book, she argues that throughout their careers, women must navigate complex and often discontinuous paths toward leadership.

The factors facing women in leadership roles include:

Walking the narrow band. Women have to work within a narrow range of acceptable behaviors, notes King. "Women have to be tough and demanding but easy to be with. They have to have the desire to succeed but can't appear too ambitious," she says. "We've seen this clearly in the discussions of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. She has to be seen as tough enough to deal with the pressures of the presidency, but is often criticized as not human, warm or likeable enough." In most organizations, the range of acceptable behavior has expanded in recent years but the narrow band still exists.

Being owned by the job. Many high-level professional jobs are becoming "extreme jobs" for both men and women, Eagly notes. The 40-hour work week is expanding, and employees are often expected to be available by e-mail and phone. "Those who put in longer hours generally rise faster, making it very difficult for people with family responsibilities," Eagly says. Work demands can cause problems for both men and women, but may affect women more acutely.

Traversing the Balance Beam. The struggle for balance seems chronic as demands on women's time and attention increase. Although experience of multiple roles has been shown to enhance managerial effectiveness (see related article) and women's overall well-being, such commitments — partner, parent, care-giver, friend, volunteer — do create challenges. "Women do experience conflict between their various roles," says King. "Managing their time is a challenge, they often feel pulled in many directions and they struggle to define and find balance."