We read about it in the press every week - how women get paid less than men and that women are far and few between in top level jobs. But is the situation really this gloomy and do glass ceilings really exist?
 
There are certainly stats to suggest that they do. The 2007 National Management Salary Survey found that women are paid an average of 12% less than males working in similar roles and that resignation rates among women directors and professionals are at a five year high. The number of sex discrimination and equal pay cases has also soared, exceeding 28,000 and 44,000 respectively between 2006 and 2007. Even some parents feel that children can form a barrier. As one mother said in a survey conducted by womenintechnology.co.uk: “A late-in-life maternity leave killed any chance of promotion stone dead.”
 
It’s possible that glass ceilings become more apparent in more senior positions. Another respondent commented that, “[being a woman] didn’t seem to be a problem when I was more junior. As I became more senior it certainly started to feel like there is a ceiling.”
 
However are things really this bad? Yes some sexist views remain and they probably always will, but the situation has certainly improved drastically in recent years. Today there are more laws than ever protecting us against sex discrimination and unfair dismissal and setting out our rights to maternity leave and pay. With 123 female held directorships in the FTSE 100 (11% of the total) women today are going from strength to strength.
 
A major reason why there are fewer women in the more senior positions may be that many just choose not to be there. Some mothers make a conscious decision to work part-time, or to work at a more junior level with less responsibility as it means they are able to dedicate more time to their family. One respondent said “I’ve generally done OK in my jobs but if you really want to ‘get on’ then you have to be prepared to spend a reasonable amount of time away from your family – and I’m no longer prepared to do that.”
 
Being a working mother is like having two full time jobs and handling both can often seem like an impossible feat! More employers need to put as much effort into retraining and upskilling returners – and therefore ensuring that they keep their key talent – as they do into their graduate trainee schemes. As one woman put it, “More should be done to keep women in managerial positions even part-time. A lot of women are offered a lesser position when returning from maternity leave. No wonder they quit!”