Assignment 1-3
In the book review for the journal article analysis, Mothers on the Fast Track: How a New Generation Can Balance Family and Careers. The article is discuss how a mother daughter team (Mary Ann Mason and Eve Mason Ekman), conducted interviews on women in fast track careers in industries such as law, science, business, medicine, and academia. The question that was asked in this novel was “How some women manage to have it all and looks specifically at when such women have children and when their careers toke off” (p.1). It discusses how in this day in age people are beginning to see women migrate into male dominated professions, after a full generation has successfully completed the task with difficult circumstances. Ekman (twenty-six year old daughter) has two children by two husbands after her and her first husband divorce she gave up her law career for almost a decade due to the long hours she was unable to manage. Ekman got remarried and received a second chance at the age of forty-four she received a position at Berkeley as an entry-level tenure track position. She eventually became the first female Graduate Dean at The University of California, Berkeley.
In the fall of 2000, when she greeted her first class of 2,500 she announced that it was the first time that more than half of the students were women, her joy soon changed when she noticed that at the faculty senate meeting the same afternoon, she only seen a few females. Mason states, “Despite some progress, women in fast-track professions as of 2007 were still being paid less and receiving promotions less frequently than men in similar positions” (2007.p.2). In the article it states that Mason believes “transformation solutions need to take place in the work environment of fast-track careers” (2007.p.2), she propose that employers should create more of a flexibility for women in their careers, so that they have a better options should they want children. In addition employers should establish paid family leave should be most important not only for females who just had a baby but for fathers as well, without jeopardizing their careers. Mason also states, “for greater stability and opportunity at the second tier, such that, for example, part-time instructors are given job security, benefits, and better pay”(2007.p.2). At the end of the article Mason suggest that women who are at the end of their careers should become cheerleaders for incoming career women, they should become cheerleaders, and develop a network to match the advantage that “old boys give to young men”(2007.p.2).
The article states that in 2007, women were still being paid less, and receiving slower opportunities to advance in the corporate ladder. The question I propose is that, is it going to change in 2009, even though President Obama has passed the law prohibiting companies from paying lower wages to females. We have made significant progress in America, but it still stands that many companies with male dominant professions I believe they will only hire majority males, retain, and train/educate males so that they are able to reach unparallel opportunities compared to their female counterparts.
In my capstone class, Business Administration 495 I’ am researching a big corporation called General Electric. When reading The Shareholders Letter there is a picture of the top executives, all males. Are we going to see a change in companies such as General Electric in years to come? It is not only about wages it is also about promotions, there are multiple women in high executive positions, but when are we going to see three top successful CEO’s in corporations. Or are there multiple CEO’s and we just don’t hear about them as much. On the other hand I can analyze and say that we have seen improvements when hiring successful women in the text Strategic Management, the author’s states, “The U.S. Department of Education statistics two that women have become the dominant holders of college degrees. Based on figures of a recent graduating class, women with bachelor’s degrees will outnumber their male counterparts by 27 percent. By the class of 2006-2007, the gap should surge to 38 percent. Additionally, throughout the 1990’s the number of women earning MBA’s increased by 29 percent compared to only 15 percent for men” (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner.2008.p.45).
After reading this article I really feel that meritocracy is the best policy. It can almost assure that everyone receives the same chance and opportunity as anyone else. Diversity ensures a company is efficient and creative which increases productivity.
http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/EJC_Article.pdf?issn=00223840&issue=v41i0006&article=1069_motfthgcbfac
