March 24th, 2010 | 
Author: Less than 14% of the wealth of the Forbes 400 is controlled by women, and the majority of that portion is from inheritance. Less than 6% of Fortune 500 companies have female CEO’s.
Why is this still the case in 21st century America? Are women still oppressed by the male standard in business, or are women just less ambitious/aggressive in business?
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dunno why, but they haven’t been at it very long, for one thing.
But they aren’t oppressed, can tell you that. It’s a hell of a lot easier for them to get SBA loans, for one thing.
Good question.
I think women as a whole are less anbitious & aggressive in business.
The majority of women want to have and raise a family at some point, which usually halts their career progression. I don’t think there’s any oppression involved; the women who do hold high status positions have shown that it can be done. It’s just that less women choose to.
While there may be a few isolated cases of sex discrimination, the numbers are largely due to the fact that only that many women have the drive for positions like that.
According to the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission report on Fortune 1000 companies, well-qualified women face barriers spawning from stereotypes or preconceptions (81%), employers who feel an aversion to taking a risk by hiring a female (49%), or not carefully planning their careers or job assignments to benefit them.
Most astounding, a recent survey found that less than 1% of CEOs see the development of high potential women as a priority.
well there is still discrimination in business but it’s not as bad
most CEOs are white males who are over 6 feet tall…. hardly an accurate representation of the average American
These kind of men project the image people have in their minds when they think “powerful”, “millionaire” and “business oriented”… women usually don’t come into the picture
women also tear themselves down at times. studies have show that women who get into high positions of power don’t tend to hire other female workers. Kind of like a “queen bee” thing… it took them forever to get where they are and they don’t want their position taken away.
Yet more females open business and a female business is more likely to be around after two years.
Give us a little while (wink)
As far as being or feeling limited, personally as a business owner…no I don’t feel that way, find it less sexist then any other job I’ve ever worked. My age (or lack of it) is more limiting then my sex….but then my business will never be a Fortune 500 biz…it’s just not that type. Now it’s successful, but it’s not national by it’s nature.
In my opinion:
- We men controlled wealth for a long time.
- Its difficult for someone to get ahead of the competition when the competition have a 2 mile head start.
- Women tend to nag a lot more than men. Nagging is very bad to get ahead on a company. Nagging Its the opposite of leadership.
- Its slowly changing
There’s probably more than one thing going on here.
Given that the power structure is predominantly male, it’s odd to blame women.
It is still a fact that, if people are going to reproduce, it’s the women who need to carry and birth the babies; and any intention or possibility of doing so means you won’t be considered for many positions and promotions.
A woman who doesn’t aspire to be CEO isn’t oppressing herself; she just isn’t interested — just as all them men who don’t aspire to CEOdom aren’t oppressed.
Q: “Are women still oppressed by the male standard in business”
A: Yes. Women juggle more roles than men, and without adequate help.
I don’t think women are “oppressing themselves.” First, we have a long history of male dominance in the business world, so we have some catching up to do. Second not everyone is cut out to be a CEO. ( Male or female) Even if one has the stamina for that kind of position, they may not want it.