Beyond Glass Ceilings and Brick Walls - International Labour ...

The inability or reluctance to travel at night or long distances was a situation
disliked by most managers. Managers also tend to stereotype all women and
disregard that there could be women who will be willing to take these challenges
at work and perform equally well. All women in middle and senior management
posts held the view that this was not a major problem in itself, if they too, like
their male counterparts, were provided with transport and other required facilities.
It was up to the women to deal with social stigma and break barriers. In
companies male senior managers were of the opinion that women find it difficult
to travel and stay overnight in distant places. Such opinions held by persons in
senior executive positions will have a major influence on how the company
addresses this concern and even affect recruitment and promotion decisions.
However, it is in the interest of the organization to examine the conditions
under which the employees work and to provide the safeguards and facilities to
obtain the optimum outputs from both male and female managers. It will also be
good socially responsible conduct on the part of the company to ensure that all
employees, irrespective of sex, are provided with transport as a standard practice,
without making it an issue when the requesting employee is a female.
The inability to work late is also cited as a problem associated with women.
There were many women who were able and willing to work late when the
occasion required such commitments. However, it is quite understandable that
women who shoulder a larger share of domestic responsibilities will find it more
difficult than others to put in extra hours of work routinely. Such situations
must be known to employees well in advance. If such requirements are also
made known to new recruits, persons can plan in advance for such work related
needs for time, and if required, travel. People must be provided the opportunity
to plan accordingly.
Transferring the social benefits of women undertaking the reproductive role
entirely on them and making it an opportunity cost to be borne entirely by
women is not a just and fair situation. The redress requires examining the issue
from a broader perspective where the state, employees and employers identify
their role in ensuring a more fair work setting in which the costs of domestic/
reproductive responsibilities (borne mostly by women) and benefits (procured
by all of society) are shared in a more equitable manner.
A further manifestation of this complex malady is the reluctance and denial
of maternity leave and other benefits to female employees. The reluctance to
employ women, citing the reason as maternity leave, reflects this situation.
Many senior managers are quite strong in their opinion about this situation
and are reluctant to consider appointing women to senior management
positions feeling that the reproductive roles, particularly motherhood, will
interfere with the contributions she would have otherwise made to the
company profits. Their loyalties are narrow and limited to productivity and
profits and lack vision of the processes and human costs involved. Losses
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