Originally published as Career Development International Volume 10 Number 3, 2005
ISBN: 1 84544 145 1
Guest edited by: Ronald Burke, York University, York, UK, & Susan Vinnicombe, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield, UK.
This Special Issue examines the various challenges women face in advancing their careers.
In the mid 1980s, the phrase "glass ceiling" was coined and has since become an established part of our vocabulary. The glass ceiling refers to an invisible but impermeable barrier that limits the career advancement of women. During the last two decades, women have made progress: there are now more women in senior-level executive jobs, more women in "clout jobs", more women CEOs, and more women on corporate boards of directors.
However, real progress has been slow with only modest increases shown at these levels. The slow progress made by talented, educated, ambitious women is now having some negative effects on women's views of management and the professions as a career. However, artificially limiting the career possibilities of women is a luxury organizations can no longer afford. Organizations are facing an impending shortage of qualified leaders. The aging of the workforce, a smaller number of new workforce entrants, and the war for talent, makes it imperative that organizations utilize and develop the talents of all their employeees.
Contents:
Women's career development phases: Idealism, endurance, and reinvention
This study aims to explore the nature of women's career experiences over the life course by examining career patterns, career locus, career contexts, and career beliefs.
Understanding the processes that facilitate and hinder efforts to advance women in organizations
Argues that four basic underlying processes – social cognitions, justice, threat, and utility – must be considered and managed as part of the development, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives targeting women's career advancement, if such initiatives are to have their desired impact. These underlying processes and their implications are presented with recommendations for organizational leaders and human resource professionals.
Factors related to the career satisfaction of older managerial and professional women
The labour force participation of older women has increased substantially in Canada. This study aims to examine the factors that are important to the career satisfaction of older managerial and professional women.
Generation X women in high technology: Overcoming gender and generational challenges to succeed in the corporate environment
This article seeks to undertake research of Generation X women in high technology in order to determine what type of corporate environment would support their needs for professional success, personal fulfillment, and sustain longer-term employment.
Advancing the careers of women with children
This study aims to assess whether differences exist in the barriers reported by, and in the person- and situation-centred factors related to the managerial advancement of, women with and without children. The study also seeks to examine whether having children influences women's advancement by affecting person-situation factors such as training and development or work hours.
Senior women managers’ transition to entrepreneurship: Leveraging embedded career capital
This paper aims to explore the phenomenon of senior women managers leaving corporate organisations to start their own companies. Women's advancement to senior management roles is facilitated by the acquisition of human capital and social capital. Female ex-corporate managers leverage personal accumulations of knowledge, skills, relationships and networks when starting and growing new ventures. A conceptual framework of “embedded career capital” accrued during past experiences and transferable to the individuals’ new entrepreneurial ventures is put forward.
About Career Development International
The continuing trend towards flatter, non-hierarchical business organizations means different, or fewer, opportunities for career development. At the same time, organizations still need to provide employees with opportunities to develop their skills and experience to enhance their professional status and to improve their rewards. Career Development International brings into focus the framework in which these new employment relationship are being negotiated and examines the pertinent career issues facing organizations worldwide.
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