The Snitch

I got to attend a pledge event on Wednesday, where young business leaders and entrepreneurs gathered to launch a new initiative called “Beat the Recession” which aims to help Singaporeans during these tough economic times. As I sat amid the audience watching the young leaders sign the pledge and huddle together for a group picture, realisation hit me. Why are most of these leaders men?

Don’t get me wrong. I have utmost respect for the male population and in no way undermine their capabilities. After all, many leaders of the world are men and I have no problems with that. But the nagging thought continues to resound in my head.

As mentioned in a previous entry here on The Snitch, women are everywhere. Yet most of the senior-level positions are taken up by men. And just look at the “Beat the Recession” launch itself, where petite Annie Gan from construction firm Jian Huang Group stood alone surrounded by tall men in business suits.

It forces me to question if the glass ceiling actually exists.

My answer immediately came from a Robert Half media conference the next day. The survey focused on females working in the finance and accounting sector and almost half of those polled do not think they will ever reach a senior management position.

Men continue to dominate the top-level positions, and women gradually feel dissatisfied at their lack of career advancement and move on.

Though it may be inaccurate to form an opinion based on my minuscule experience in the working world, I shall attempt to decipher the situation with the little that I know. Yes, I do believe the glass ceiling exists. Gender discrimination is often subtle, especially with groups like Aware rising in prominence and people simply need to hide behind the politically-correct facade. Even though we live in the 21st century, conservative mindsets are still present and it takes time to break those barriers.

Yet even if the glass ceiling does exist, I feel it is futile to simply feel outraged and unjust. Instead, we can draw inspiration from successful women and start being pro-active in our quest to break the glass. The managing director of Robert Half Tim Hird suggested at the media conference that we should fight for what we want, but in a positive way. The first step is to try.

But gun to your head, do you think the glass ceiling exists?