LETTERS: The term "glass ceiling" is a metaphor that illustrates the impediment to the growth and advancement of women in occupying main leadership or policymaking positions. Studies show that there is still an intangible obstacle that hinder women from moving to higher positions.
Some assume that the phrase glass ceiling is no longer relevant today because women in Malaysia have generally succeeded in participating in the job market, and that the working trend of the future is about to see women's domination in the vocational world.
Statistics also show that the number of women at schools and universities is on the rise, and that they have higher achievements.
Nonetheless, when they enter the working world, whether they like it or not, they need to admit that there is a glass ceiling in several stages of an organisation.
This raises the question: will women succeed in breaking the glass ceiling that has stood in the way of their career growth? Reality has it that a few of them have successfully penetrated the ceiling. The real challenges begin after one breaks the glass ceiling.
The roles and responsibilities that are expected of women also influence their ability to overcome this obstacle. How can we say that women are able to break the glass ceiling when only a few of them assume the positions of company chairmen, chief executive officers and other high positions in the public and corporate sectors?
Despite the fact that women have had the same career path and requirements for promotion as their male counterparts, they seem to be unable to surpass the higher levels of their career. Women in Malaysia are more prominent in the middle-management level, although normally, behind a chief executive officer, there is a woman who always works hard and demonstrates extraordinary abilities.
Is this glass ceiling phenomenon healthy? From the perspective of talent and human resources management, this should not happen. The innate talent and qualifications should be tapped into and equal opportunities should be established.
If a glass ceiling exists in an organisation, it would be a loss if hidden talents are not maximised. The question is, does the phenomenon really exist in the organisation? It is a fact that there are elements of discrimination and biasness where qualified individuals are oppressed or held back, regardless of gender or race.
This constraint is normally neither obvious nor documented, where there exists unfair attitude, behaviour or approach on the part of the organisation, that hinders qualified individuals from advancing further in the management hierarchy.
Women are no longer the permanent figure in the kitchen, but they have increasingly become the mainstay of the country's development and growth. Their credibility can no longer be underestimated as they can stand as tall, and walk as fast, as men.
Men should not procrastinate any longer. They should leave behind the perception that women have less to show in taking over senior positions.
Men and women should create a healthy competition to endorse each and everyone's respective talents and qualifications.
Dr Zafir Khan Mohamed Makhbul
Professor of Human Resources and Organisational Management, Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times