Tag Archives: glass ceiling

By Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D. in Psychology Today's High Octane Women Given the multitude of stressors in today's workplace--inadequate resources, long work hours, increasing work demands, and lack of recognition to name just a few--it's not surprising that more than half of American workers report being dissatisfied with their jobs. However, these rather obvious stressors account for only part of the stress high octane women experience in the workplace. Gender-biased workplace stressors are often the most difficult to cope with and to combat, largely because they're often invisible. Unlike first generation gender discrimination (intentional acts of bias against women), women in today's workforce, especially those working in traditionally male-dominated fields, are experiencing a much more camouflaged foe--second generation gender biases that are impeding their advancement and adding stress to their lives. According to researchers at the Center for Gender in Organizations (CGO), second generation gender biases are "work cultures and practices that appear neutral and natural on their face," yet they reflect masculine values and life situations of men who have been dominant in the development of traditional work settings. These deeply entrenched gender-biased dynamics exist in our culture, norms, and organizational practices and directly impact hiring decisions, promotion, and salaries.