Women Executives for Many Individuals Term Paper

As it pertains to the physical differences women have to miss some time at work after having a child to allow their bodies to heal. Missing this time from work can be detrimental to pursuing certain management positions. However men who become fathers do not have this same type of barrier. In addition, although many fathers are more involved with the daily care of their children, mothers are still the primary caregivers (Sumer, 2006). With this being understood, women often have a harder time balancing work and family life (Sumer, 2006).

In some cases it may be difficult for women to find childcare and as a result they may not have the luxury of being able to work the long hours that male counterparts can work. Some corporations have attempted to assist working mothers as it relates to childcare by offering childcare facilities in the workplace (Sumer, 2006). It appears that this practice is beneficial to women in some ways. In fact, it has been reported that corporations that offer childcare and/or family friendly work schedules are more likely to have women in top executive positions.

Also in some cases women are choosing to stay home with their children instead of pursuing executive careers. In some cases these women return to corporate America but they have missed many years, which can contribute to their inability to rise through the ranks of executive leadership.In either case it is obvious that women have significant barriers related to their ability to become top executives in corporate America.

Summary

The purpose of this discussion was to examine why there are so few women in senior executive positions in corporate America. The research found that women have several barriers that prevent of greatly minimize the likelihood that women can become executives. These barriers include gender discrimination and family/work balance.

As it relates to gender discrimination the research suggest that this discrimination affects the manner in which women are evaluated. In addition this discrimination may discourage women from even putting forth the effort needed to become a top executive. In addition the investigation found that women are often torn between work and family life. It is clear that many corporations are not designed to assist women in overcoming these barriers and as a result there are few women in executive positions in corporate America.

References

Mitra, a. (2003). Access to Supervisory Jobs and the Gender Wage Gap among Professionals. Journal of Economic Issues, 37(4), 1023+.

Nelson, T., & Levesque, L.L. (2007). The Status of Women in Corporate Governance in High-Growth, High-Potential Firms. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 31(2),….....