A new study conducted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
found that women now represent about 36 percent of all officials and managers
in private sector employment, a seven percent increase over the 12-year period
examined.
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Download Now"More women are shattering the proverbial glass ceiling, and many more
are chipping holes in it," says Cari M. Dominguez, chair of the agency.
"Unfortunately, the gains are not across the board. Disparities exist in
the workforce participation of women, by industry. Some industries are doing
better than others. We hope this study will assist employers and employees alike
in identifying barriers to and opportunities for access and advancement."
There are noteworthy industry differences in the employment of women as officials
and managers, according to the study. For example, while industries from the
healthcare sector of the economy are the most likely to employ women in these
positions, those from the manufacturing sector are least likely to do so. Other
industries on the "top 10" list include department stores, legal services,
and insurance carriers. The "lowest 10" list, in addition to manufacturing
industries, includes the electric power generation, transmission and distribution;
architectural, engineering and related services; and general freight trucking
industries.
According to the study, the distribution of women varies across job categories.
Today, women occupy 51.7 percent of "professional" positions, defined
as those requiring a college education or comparable background; more than 80
percent of "office and clerical worker" positions; 56.4 percent of
"sales worker" positions, a broad category encompassing jobs engaged
wholly or primarily in direct selling; and 45.9 percent of "technician"
positions, or those jobs requiring a combination of basic scientific knowledge
and manual skill which can be obtained through two years of post-high school
education.
The term "glass ceiling" is commonly used to describe those artificial,
invisible barriers that are based solely on attitudinal or organizational bias,
which prevent qualified individuals from advancing upwardly into management
level positions.
The EEOC's report is based upon data required annually, through a workforce
survey, of private sector employers with a minimum of 100 employees as well
as federal contractors with at least 50 employees and contracts exceeding $50,000.
In Fiscal Year 2002, more than 39,000 employers submitted reports for establishments
employing about 52 million people. The survey includes nine occupational categories:
officials and managers, professionals, technicians, sales, office and clerical,
craft workers (skilled), operatives (semiskilled), laborers (unskilled) and
service workers.
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