Women built the glass ceiling - apparently

I never read certain newspapers if I can help it, but this article has me seething!

Now, the subject of women in business, be it IT or other industries is a difficult one to approach without winding someone up the wrong way.

And that is usually just me.

Some of the stories/pieces of research/opinions I read/receive are wrong, some are patronising, and a small handful are spot on.

But I was led via the medium of Twitter to an article by one of my least favourite rags (and I have a few) loosely based on some 'research' by the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and Columbia Business School, on the fact that women who claw their way to the top of the corporate ladder, are the least likely to promote other women. I wish I hadn't clicked on it. What a load of utter tripe.

See the article here - I struggle to call it an article actually, and the author is obviously standing behind their convictions because they haven't put their name to it.

"If you're a woman looking to get to the top of your profession, try to avoid having a female boss..." is the article opener.

It then goes on to basically imply that most women who manage to fight their way past the men to get to a top position, then proceed to block any other womens' attempts to get promotion to a managerial position.

What a sweeping generalisation!

I have had many bosses (I have to be careful here!) over the years, and I have come across good and bad ones of both sexes.

The worst ones I ever had were when I worked in retail before training to be a journalist, and there was one of each at the same place - both were equally terrible to work for, but not because they wanted to stop anyone being promoted - they were just plain nasty and basically bullies.

Speaking as someone who has managed men and women, promotions are given on merit, not what gender they are. It doesn't even come into the equation. If someone deserves a promotion, they will get it as soon as I can possibly get it signed off.

I was talking to someone just this week about the importance of having a balanced workforce of both men and women, and how both bring something different to the table.

But with articles like this, it just knocks everything back to square one, painting women execs as nasty, bitter and jealous, who will stop at nothing to prevent other women progressing, and will surround themselves with male colleagues like some sort of Queen Bee. Seriously?

Of course there will be some people out there like that - but this is not exclusive to women by any stretch of the imagination - again I have worked with some men that bring a new meaning to the word catty (Disclaimer: definitely not anyone I have worked with in the last 12 years!)

The comments below the article are also very telling and I had to check the date to make sure we had not been transported back to the 1950s.

Blood is well and truly boiled!