Glass ceiling — discrimination women face in the workplace
For this insights session we had Shaheera Syed, Strategic Communicationist at Democracy Reporting International and Isha Saeed, an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School, join us to explore the glass ceiling, how it impacts women and what employees and employers alike can do to help build a more equitable and diverse workplace. Shaheera has worked in the public sector in development and policy for over 7 years, often in conjunction with the government while Isha has worked in the corporate sector ever since her graduation from LUMs in 2014, for companies such as GSK and Pepsi.
Isha describes the glass ceiling as an invisible or even exceptionally visible barrier that has not been broken before by a woman, resulting in women not being able to progress beyond that level due to no existing precedent for it. Discrimination against women at the work force, of which the glass ceiling is a subsect, is a systemic problem, manifesting in a number of ways such as a lower ratio of women hired if any, the pay gap and lack of promotions. This discrimination is often rooted in practices, work policies and unconscious biases employers and colleagues may hold.
According to Shaheera, there exists preconceived notions on what roles a woman should take up, whether that’s by our patriarchal society or by herself after a life time of internalizing these values. In her case, Shaheera met a lot of resistance from her family when entering the development sector because it was stigmatized that women from decent families don’t enter the field, though there is hardly anything more honorable than working to improve the conditions in your country. While Isha was lucky to be more well supported, she was also, the first person in her family to enter the corporate sector, with no pre-existing role model’s who’s example she could follow.
In their experience, businesses often don’t hire women because they feel that the environment won’t suit them, discouraging women from applying rather than taking the responsibility of implementing change. “How to make a work environment comfortable for women is step two and that’s something which we can tackle together, once we’re part of the workforce, part of the discourse,” passionately asserts Shaheera. Rather than cosmetic statements about inclusivity, the organization should actively work towards a more equitable workplace. Some ways to do this is to have HR involved in the hiring process so applicants can be evaluated objectively, target social media ads about hiring towards women and sincerely listen when women bring up issues at the workplace. According to Isha it greatly helps if the higher ups acknowledge issues, leading to action such as providing transports for late networking events that determine a lot of promotions.
For the women themselves who are entering the workforce, it’s important to have a thick skin, taking credit when it’s due rather than shying away from it. Change is always gradual and while not everyone can afford to be so vocal about these issues it’s important to be aware of your rights, company policies and to not shut down the women who are speaking up about them.
To watch the full insights session on the glass ceiling click here.
