Women in Power: Stories of Shattering the Glass Ceiling

Business or leadership roles have historically been monopolized by men, while women have faced enormous obstacles in getting to leadership roles. Michael asks: Is there any change? He explains: In the last decades more and more women are breaking the glass ceiling, exceeding the limits set by social expectations and structural obstacles. When speaking about these narratives, we can consider them as individual narratives of success, or as one of the many advances’ women have achieved in their quest for equality, acknowledgment, and authority. These narratives echo, in resonance, the strength, focus and smartness of dexterous women who struggled deferring eating at the table and are presently capturing industries, organizations and movements with decisive and impactful roles.

Indra Nooyi, who was raised in India, faced several hurdles throughout her career, including gender discrimination, cultural barriers, and the pressure of balancing work with her home life. Immigrating to America posed an extra challenge to her, however, she had goals set for herself. She is one of the few women who have been able to break the glass ceiling and Nooyi becoming the CEO of PepsiCo in 2006 marked a significant tangible movement in the world as it was viewed as a groundbreaking accomplishment. Under her leadership, PepsiCo experienced increasing growth. In the corporate sector, she stood out as an ideal image of a woman leader who excelled across traditional business boundaries.

Nooyi’s life is just but one out of myriads of women who managed to overcome all obstacles and break the glass ceiling in their respective areas of expertise such as Ursula Burns. She became the first African American woman to be a Fortune 500 company’s chief executive officer when she took control of Xerox in 2009. Burns grew up from humble beginnings, starting her professional career as an intern in Xerox. But then, thanks to her unwavering determination, her strong work ethics, as well as her originality, she was able to climb the corporate ladder. As a result of her leadership, Xerox evolved during her tenure from being largely seen as a photocopying machine producing company to being a worldwide leader in document management and technology solution services. Cheering him on too was a legion of women of color who by now sought out to break into the higher echelons of business; rationally so because to much of them already saw the glass ceiling as kickable.

Mary Barra, General Motors’ first-ever female CEO, has quite the inspiring story behind her career. Despite the traditionally male-dominated business environment, she was able to make her mark in GM through her incredible determination and remarkable skills. The automotive industry is aware of her unprecedented success when she was offered the CEO position in 2014, making her the first woman to hold the position in the entire industry. Barra’s career started back in 1980 when she was hired at GM for a co-op program. She slowly climbed the career ladder and was able to secure high-end positions such as the head of product development, HR, and manufacturing. Today, Mary Barra holds a prominent position in the list of most powerful women across the globe due to her strategic focus on turning GM into a leader in electric and autonomous vehicles.

These stories, while moving, are much more than just the narrative of one person achieving their dreams. They portray the fundamental progress in society that has granted women the opportunity to tackle the existing glass ceilings and assume high positions of power. People used to say to women that for them to be taken seriously in business they should act in a particular manner. Women were encouraged to respect the stereotypes associated with leaders in most cases rude, possessive or devoid of feelings. Those women, who were empathizing, sharing, or being emotionally intelligent were rather branded ill-fitted for leadership as ‘too soft’ or ‘too weak’. But now when women have been getting appointed in high executive posts, it can be observed that these traits are not weaknesses but rather strengths that make someone an effective and humane leader.

The breaking of the glass ceiling is not only phenomena that relates to the accomplishments of individual women, but it also has to do with the breaking of structures that enabled women to achieve success. As the business world has become focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, many firms have come to appreciate that it is to their benefit to have women occupying leadership positions. Research indicates that organizations with higher women representation in leadership positions have better profitability, increased employee engagement, and are more creative. This revelation has led to greater focus on coaching, brokering and, making possible career progression for more women. Organizations are now taking concrete steps to remove the barriers that used to restrain women and provide assistance to achieve their objectives.

The increased presence of female mentors has significantly accelerated the fracturing of the glass ceiling. As women transcend the barriers against them, they lift other women along the way. Mentoring women about exiting the misogynous workplaces is critical to increasing their numbers in the C-suites; women who have achieved what was once impossible freely choose their work and aren’t afraid of hard work. The domino effect is real: when women with influence and authority help their peers, it boosts their self-confidence. The change reverberates through various sectors.

For instance, women leaders have gained a strong supporter in Sheryl Sandberg, the former Facebook COO and the best-selling book Lean In’s writer. Through Sandberg’s own narrative of reaching the top in Facebook, she was able to grapple any form of gender discrimination and challenge all preconceived ideas pertaining to women in the workplace. Sandberg’s work had a breath of women’s global movements in the effort of messianic feminine branding, encouraging women to ‘lean in’ to the possibilities availed and allow barriers to be pushed.

It is true that women throughout the world have come a long way in their fight to penetrate the glass escalator, yet much still needs to be done. Discriminatory practices like, unconscious bias, comparatively unequal pay and absence of the possibility to blend work and life, add to the difficulty women, especially women of color, have to go through in order to get to the leadership position. An example of this is the impact of COVID-19 on women in employment, many have left their jobs to take care of children or elderly family members. The work towards equality is still far from over, yet especially the tales of these women who fought their way to shatter the glass ceiling serve as a strong motivation of what is achievable.

Women holding more leadership positions is not an achievement for a few women only rather it is a win for society at large. New ideas, solutions, and concepts are integrated into the equation when women are in charge. They turn the tables and advocate for more diversity, creativity, greater social responsibility. Women in power are not simply shattering the glass ceiling. They are affecting the world, influencing laws, and making it more balanced and fairer for future generations by changing industries.

To sum up, the accounts of women who have penetrated the patriarchal barriers are poignant stories about women in leadership’s boldness, fortitude, and intelligence. These women have broken free from the chains of restrictions built on them as a result of their gender and society, thus serving as role models for the younger women leaders. With more women taking the charge, the glass ceiling will continue to break down, so that we can achieve a world that is free and fair. There is still a lot to be done, but we have gone through this much thanks to the magic of women leaders, and it is visible.