The Glass Ceiling and Female Mental Health

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

As defined, the glass ceiling is the intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions. 

Recently, a major financial institution has hired the first woman CEO, and we now have our first female vice president-elect. Yet, despite how far we have already come, there is still a long way to go. Women are nevertheless being viewed as inferior in business and politics. In comparison, the number of women in senior leadership roles has increased from 17 to 21 percent since 2015. These numbers equal only 1 in 5 c-suite executives being a woman. Even more dismal: only 1 in 25 c-suite executives are women of color. We, as a country, have a long way to go.

In one Stanford research study, researchers sent out 200 fictitious résumés were sent out to employers in a large Northeastern city. The study found that women applicants with children were significantly less likely to get hired. If hired, they would be paid a lower salary than male applicants with children, which occurred even though the fictitious resumes had the same qualifications and education. The researchers had only changed their gender.

This glass ceiling phenomenon is affecting women at work, mental health, and job satisfaction. 

Stress and Burnout

In a 2019 study, scientists proved that the glass ceiling significantly impacts working females' stress levels. The stress factors are due to workplace discrimination, stereotyping, and lack of opportunities available.

Another study showed that the weight of the perception of the glass ceiling and mental health perception were significantly connected with emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment and led to quicker burnout.

But the stress doesn’t just disappear when women make it to the top of their respective corporate ladders. Many female executives feel that to stay on top; they have to be constantly “on the ball” and sharper than male executives.

There is an insane demand and the feeling that there is no room for a mistake, no matter how small. They perceive the pressure is all on them because if a male executive makes a mistake, it is dealt with, and everyone moves on. But if a female executive makes an error, no matter how small, it is viewed as a commentary on all women in business, which is why “women don’t belong” in executive board rooms.

Constant chronic stress can significantly impact the immune, digestive, and cardiovascular systems. When those systems are compromised, this gives women the illusion of being weaker and not "fit" for the corporate world. It is a catch-22 where women cannot win either way. 

Increased Anxiety and Depression

A study from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health's Department of Epidemiology revealed that women with lower incomes than men with similar education and experience levels were 2.5 times more likely to have major depression than their male counterparts. Women who earned a comparable salary to their male counterparts didn't have a greater risk of depression than their male counterparts.

The researchers took data from 22,000 working adults aged 30 to 65 over one year. In the conclusion of this study, women were twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression in that year. Additionally, women who earned less than men were much more likely to be depressed. The study also found that women had double the risk of "generalized anxiety disorder" that year—establishing the correlation between salary discrepancies (aka the glass ceiling) and a woman's mental health. 

The study also suggests that women are more likely to blame their lower-income on themselves and not on gender discrimination. Proving the attitude that women are inferior in business is so ingrained that even women believe it. 

And through the study, it appears that if women internalize these negative experiences as a result of inferior merit, rather than the direct result of discrimination, these women are at increased risk for depression and anxiety disorders. 

The study's authors also highlighted that the findings went beyond whether just having lower incomes for women might prompt a higher risk of depression and anxiety. The study also found that while a financial strain is a potential risk factor for the two mental health disorders, the trend also held up among men and women pairs who made much more substantial salaries.

How to Break the Glass Ceiling 

To stop this discrimination, we first need to take the step forward and act on the many discussions that companies have had on diversity and inclusion. It is a topic that, rightfully, has gained a lot of traction recently, but it seems to be all talk and no action. 

To effect change, the first action needed is to realize that the issue is systematic and not just an individual problem. Organizations need to provide better-structured systems and practices to help break the glass ceiling. They need to understand that they will benefit from breaking the glass ceiling too. More diversity across the company will result in better decision making and better business outcomes. 

Taking a parallel route, women also need to realize that it is not all in their heads. The glass ceiling is a very real thing. We need to be teaching girls from a young age that their opinions and thoughts are valued and that they can do anything they set their mind to.

To break through the glass ceiling, the first thing women need to do is break the glass ceilings in their minds. Show more self-confidence, talk openly about accomplishments, and be vocal about what they want. Support other female co-workers and work together to make changes. Above all else, go after the projects and positions they want, and do it fearlessly.

It is abundantly clear that that discrimination and the glass ceiling effect play a significant role in our female workforce's mental health. Until there are stricter policies on sexual harassment and discrimination, not much is going to change. 

Sources

Correll, J., Benard. S., (2007 March) Getting a Job: Is There a Motherhood Penalty?, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 112, No. 5 pp. 1297-1339 The University of Chicago Press

Jonathan Platt, Seth Prins, Lisa Bates, Katherine Keyes. Unequal depression for equal work? How the wage gap explains gendered disparities in mood disorders. Social Science & Medicine, 2016; 149: 1 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.056

Like this article? Follow me for more!

...

Follow