Chapter 4

Question 1

Glass ceiling

Answer 1

Refers to an invisible but impermeable barrier that kept most women from advancing beyond a certain point in upper levels of organizations

Question 2

Sticky floor

Answer 2

Captures effects of discriminatory practices, short career ladders and systematic societal inequality that keep women ´stuck´ near the bottom of the organizational structure

Question 3

Problems with the “glass ceiling” metaphor

Answer 3

• Implies equal access to entry-level positions
• Assumes barrier at a specific high level
• Suggest barriers to women are difficult to detect
• Assumes a single barrier and ignores complexity
• Does not recognize diverse strategies
• Precludes possibility to overcome barriers
• Fails to suggest that thoughtful problem solving can facilitate women’s paths to leadership

Question 4

Individual deficit model

Answer 4

Underrepresentation at high levels occurs because candidates do not posess the preparation and skills for promotion to higher levels –> recommendation for specialized training for underrepresented groups (women and minority groups)

Question 5

Structured model

Answer 5

Barriers result from how the company’s structure affects behavior, and from institutionalized processes considered the route to advancement –> suggests examination and modification of the organization’s standards practices and procedures

Question 6

Sex role model

Answer 6

Society’s expectations about appropriate behavior for and stereotypic ideas about women or men –> suggests to revisist ‘what is needed for the job and how is this related to gender or minority status?’

Question 7

Intergroup relations model

Answer 7

Advancement is limited by dynamics of the relationships between women and men or majority and minority groups –> Organizations should look for and try to remedy any stereotypic beliefs, prejudice and discriminatory behavior based on group membership

Question 8

Occupational segregation

Answer 8

The degree to which people of different sexes or races hold different categories of jobs or different occupations (cleaners are this group, managers are this group)

Question 9

Duncan’s D

Answer 9

Index of Dissimilarity –> to measure how differently groups of people are distributed across different job categories
- D’s are underestimates of the actual amount of occupational segregations, because totally segregated workplaces are left out

Question 10

Equal pay

Answer 10

Consistent pay for men and women who are doing the same or very similar work

Question 11

Pay equity

Answer 11

Discrimination and unfairness can and should be addressed even when men and women are doing different work