Breaking through the glass ceiling:
Women in management - Introduction

This report has been prepared by the International Labour Office as the basis for discussions at the tripartite meeting on Breaking through the glass ceiling: Women in management. It reviews the changing position of women in the labour market and in professional and managerial work. It examines obstacles to women's career development and action taken to improve their opportunities and promote gender equality.  

Background to the meeting

The meeting is part of the ILO's sectoral activities programme, the purpose of which is to facilitate the exchange of information between constituents on labour and social developments relevant to particular economic sectors, complemented by practically oriented research on topical sectoral issues. This objective has traditionally been pursued by the holding of international tripartite sectoral meetings for the exchange of views and experience with a view to: fostering a broader understanding of sector-specific issues and problems; promoting an international tripartite consensus on sectoral concerns and providing guidance for national and international policies and measures to deal with related issues and problems; promoting the harmonization of all ILO activities of a sectoral character and acting as the focal point between the Office and constituents in order to facilitate the application of international labour standards in the various economic sectors.

At its 264th Session (November 1995) the Governing Body of the ILO decided to include in the programme of sectoral meetings for the 1996-97 biennium a tripartite meeting for the financial and professional services sector on Breaking through the glass ceiling: Women in management. At its 265th Session (March 1996) it decided that the purpose of this meeting would be to evaluate progress made in recent years and to discuss practical strategies to increase upward mobility and career opportunities for professional and managerial women at all echelons. It further decided that the following 20 countries should be invited to be represented by national tripartite delegations at the meeting to be held in Geneva in December 1997: Argentina, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Uruguay and Zimbabwe. A number of countries were included in the reserve list from which further invitees would be drawn in the event that a government in the first list declined the invitation.

Background to the report

Women in the financial and professional services sector work in a wide variety of occupations: scientists, engineers, architects, lawyers, accountants, economists, statisticians, computer programmers and specialists, administrators and managers. Together with their male counterparts, they are well qualified, possess a high degree of technological know-how, and often occupy positions of authority. Financial and professional employees thus play an essential role in enterprises, the economy and in society. Yet, as salaried employees they share many of the concerns of other workers with regard to job security the effects of new technology, work organization and working time. Achieving equal opportunities between men and women is just as much of a challenge for financial and professional employees as for workers in other sectors. The compendium of principles and good practices for the conditions of work and employment of professional workers (adopted by a Tripartite meeting in 1977, disseminated by decision of the Governing Body in 1978 and reissued in 1990) declares that women and men should have the right on the same terms to receive education and training for highly qualified jobs and that they should enjoy equality of opportunity and treatment for career advancement.

There is no doubt that significant progress has been achieved in the advancement of women over recent years, with their increasing movement into occupations, professions and managerial jobs previously held only by men. Women's access to education and training continues to improve, providing them with the necessary qualifications to aspire to top jobs in the financial and business services. Governments, enterprises, workers' and women's organizations have poured much thought and energy into overcoming attitudinal and institutional discrimination which bar women from certain jobs and hinder their career development. Yet for many the results fall short of expectations. Real obstacles remain and are often rooted in the way work itself is organized and the difficulties involved in reconciling work and family commitments. Current debates on managerial styles and approaches, together with the importance an increasing number of enterprises attach to attracting and retaining women in order to benefit from their qualifications and talent in a competitive environment, could provide positive perspectives for increasing women's share of managerial jobs.

In five chapters, the report reviews the labour market context in which professional and managerial women participate; trends in the situation of women in professional and managerial jobs; the role of education in qualifying women for careers in management; obstacles hindering women's career development and strategies to overcome them at enterprise level; national policies and programmes and initiatives of the social partners to promote women in management; and international action to promote equal employment opportunities. The report concludes with a brief summary and a list of suggested points for discussion.

Acknowledgements

The information on which the study has been based comes from a variety of sources. Extensive use was made of publications on women in management in a number of countries, as well as articles from scholarly journals and from the financial press. ILO publications were frequently consulted. Most of the figures are based on statistics collected by the ILO and UNESCO. In addition, valuable information was supplied by ILO member States, employers' and workers' organizations, research institutions and women's associations, as well as ILO regional and subregional offices and multidisciplinary teams. This help is gratefully acknowledged. The report was prepared by Linda Wirth, specialist for the financial and professional services sector. Loretta de Luca of the salaried employees and professional workers branch, Ann Herbert, formerly of the same branch, and Nadejda Veleva, external graphics consultant, also provided valuable assistance in the preparation of the report.

The report is published under the authority of the International Labour Office. it is hoped that the information and analysis provided herein will serve as a useful basis for the discussion during the meeting.