The glass ceiling is real and is universal. Although it is frequently talked about, not much has been done to shatter the glass ceiling, particularly in India. Being both a woman and a leader, I welcomed the opportunity to conduct empirical research and draw attention to this subtle form of workplace discrimination. As part of the Master of Science in Organizational Psychology program at Birkbeck, University of London, my thesis titled ‘Foot in the door: Factors which aid Indian women in breaking the glass ceiling’ was published on ResearchGate in May 2020. The paper talks extensively about the guiding principles for women aspiring to take on leadership positions in male-dominated sectors and provides qualitative insights that could be useful in shaping organisational interventions aimed at building a pipeline of women leaders. But before I begin to dissect the details and findings of my research paper, it is important to throw light on the origins of the glass ceiling in the first place. Originally coined by Marilyn Vargas in 2018, the term “Glass Ceiling” refers to circumstances in which the growth of a competent individual within an organisation is limited owing to a form of discrimination on grounds of gender or race.
Women leaders in India face a multitude of career advancement barriers including, but not limited to societal expectations, psychological and workplace barriers. In 1998, Koshal, Gupta and Koshal reported that 57% percent women perceive the need to toil harder than men to uphold their capability.
But how much of this has changed in recent years?
While there is plenty of research from western countries highlighting factors which have helped women break the glass ceiling, a solid understanding of the same is lacking in India. I hoped to fill in these gaps by interviewing four women in leadership roles from the Indian Real Estate sector to understand their experiences at work, workplace bias, impact of the glass ceiling and the way they balance their career and family. Through their stories, these four women leaders have brought us all one step closer to recognizing illuminating factors that helped them break the glass ceiling in their own careers. By means of a thorough analysis of their responses using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology, the four themes that emerged enable us to think beyond creating workplaces that are diverse, but also ones that are inclusive and empathetic.
Theme 1: Displaying or adapting an agentic style of leadership
The demonstration of an agentic style of leadership at work such as being confident, result-oriented, independent, ambitious and decisive actually enabled career advancement and earned respect for these women within their organisations.
Theme 2: Leveraging on Indian Joint Family system for support
Each of these women were given emotional support from their spouses and families which played a massive role in encouraging them to pursue their career goals, dealing with issues at work and share childcare responsibilities.
Theme 3 – Role of Organisation sponsors
Having an organisational sponsor reinforced their capability to handle high-visibility assignments, make key business decisions and be seen as future leaders.
Theme 4: Not a fair game, but we play it all the same….
One of the four women actually created a learning plan on how to become a CEO! Her drive and initiative is testament to shattering the glass ceiling, one strategy at a time. In order to showcase their effectiveness as leaders, these women highlighted their need to focus on learning and showcasing unique skills, while also putting in longer hours at work.
While I might be stating the obvious, this piece of research is not just personal to me, but also reflects my journey as a woman in a leadership role. These findings are not just eye-openers, but can also be used as a framework for organisations to refine their talent management and engagement practices towards their women employees. Having a set of policies that are fair, diverse and inclusive speaks volumes about both the organisation and its people.
While having a foot in the door might be the first step, I believe that aspiring women leaders now need a permanent seat at the leadership table.
Ruhie Pande 