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Gender quality and diversity in the world of glass I
Gender quality and diversity in the world of glass I
Feminist economists and sociologists have developed powerful metaphors to explain the employment situation of women.
La expresión ‘techo de cristal’ describe la dificultad que encuentran muchas mujeres para acceder a los niveles profesionales más elevados, la exigua presencia de las mujeres en puestos de poder y la falta de reconocimiento del trabajo de muchas profesionales.
El término ‘suelo pegajoso’, en cambio, se refiere a las muchas mujeres condenadas a ocupar los últimos peldaños de la pirámide laboral: trabajos temporales, a tiempo parcial, con baja remuneración, considerados “no cualificados”, etc. Un suelo del que no pueden escapar durante su vida laboral y que generalmente se hereda de madres a hijas.
Otro fenómeno que se observa sobre todo en el ámbito privado es el conocido como ‘acantilado de cristal’: cuando una empresa pasa por un periodo de crisis y el riesgo de fracasar en puestos de responsabilidad es elevado, se suele designar a mujeres para que los ocupen. El caso de Islandia, donde tanto la jefatura del Estado como los CEO de los dos grandes bancos quebrados se asumieron con éxito por mujeres tras la crisis financiera, es paradigmático.
Research personnel
CSIC 2019
Scissor plot
A statistical review of the women in positions in higher education and research institutes shows that, despite geographical variations, the proportion of women in senior scientific and CEO positions is extremely small everywhere. In addition, it shows that the number of women in scientific careers is on a downward curve, with a continuous drop from the beginning of studies, where they tend to be the majority, to the higher scales of full professor, where the proportion of men is always higher. This situation, known as the ‘scissor plot’, is described as a ‘leaky pipeline’, where women disappear from scientific careers constantly and disproportionately.
Feminist economists and sociologists have developed powerful metaphors to explain the employment situation of women.
The expression ‘glass ceiling’ describes the difficulty encountered by many women to access the highest professional levels, the very low presence of women in positions of power and the lack of recognition of the work of many professional women.
The term ‘sticky floor’, on the other hand, refers to the large number of women condemned to occupy the lowest ranks of the occupational pyramid: temporary, part-time, low-wage jobs, considered “unskilled”, etc., a floor from which they cannot escape during their working lives and which is usually passed on from mothers to daughters.
Another phenomenon observed especially in the private sphere, is what is known as the ‘glass cliff’: when a company is going through a period of crisis, women are appointed to leadership positions, when the risk of failure is highest. The case of Iceland, where both the posts of Head of State and the CEOs of the two big insolvent banks were successfully taken on by women after the financial crisis, is paradigmatic.
Research personnel
CSIC 2019
Scissor plot
A statistical review of the women in positions in higher education and research institutes shows that, despite geographical variations, the proportion of women in senior scientific and CEO positions is extremely small everywhere. In addition, it shows that the number of women in scientific careers is on a downward curve, with a continuous drop from the beginning of studies, where they tend to be the majority, to the higher scales of full professor, where the proportion of men is always higher. This situation, known as the ‘scissor plot’, is described as a ‘leaky pipeline’, where women disappear from scientific careers constantly and disproportionately.
