Abstract
Purpose. Glass Ceiling barriers are thought to be significant reasons why women do not advance to senior management levels as fast as males. Studies of male perceptions of Glass Ceiling barriers are rare. This study investigated how male perceptions of Glass Ceiling barriers affect a woman's career in two public sector organizations. Theoretical Framework. Gender discrimination is rooted in Organizational Behavior theory, with strong ties to sociology and human resource management. Glass Ceiling barriers are related to job satisfaction and discrimination. While major laws have protected women since 1964, workplace discrimination continued to grow. This study investigated Glass Ceiling barriers at a peak time for women in the labor market, and men in control of management. Methodology. Survey responses of how 165 public sector males serving in management positions that created or influenced women's advancement opportunities were analyzed to determine the extent and level of adversity of how their perceptions of Glass Ceiling barriers affect a woman's career. The independent variable was male management, and the dependent variables were 12 Glass Ceiling barriers. Correlation, linear regression, and tests of difference at the 95% confidence level analyzed the data descriptively and inferentially. Findings. Males were fearful of responding to the questionnaire. There were significant differences in perceptions and rankings of the Glass Ceiling barriers of Male Attitudes, Salary Gap and the Old Boys' network. Extrinsic barrier mean scores rose as the female management population decreased. Old Boys', Male Attitudes, and Sexual Harassment were perceived to minimally affect a woman's career. Role Conflict in both organizations deviated more from the mean than other barriers. Conclusions and recommendations. The males surveyed and their organizations indicated a possible fear of reprisal from false sexual harassment accusations. Sexual harassment does not seem to be an important issue among the males. There were possible links between the perceptions of extrinsic Glass Ceiling barriers and the size of female management population. Recommendations include further studies of Glass Ceiling Barriers in ethnicity and in the private sector. Also, concentrated studies of extrinsic barriers, a review of sexual harassment training, and a revised survey were recommended.