Recommendations of the

Federal Glass Ceiling

Commission

Washington, D.C.

November 1995

MAKING FULL USE OF THE A SOLID INVESTMENT: NATION’S HUMAN CAPITAL
THE VISION

OF THE GLASS CEILING COMMISSION

A national corporate leadership fully aware that shifting demographics and economic restructuring

make diversity at management and decisionmaking levels a prerequisite for the long-term success of

the United States in domestic and global marketplaces.

THE MISSION

OF THE GLASS CEILING COMMISSION

“There is established a Glass Ceiling Commission to conduct a study and prepare recommendations

concerning —

(1) eliminating artificial barriers to the advancement of women and minorities; and

(2) increasing the opportunities and development experiences of women and minorities to foster

advancement of women and minorities to management and decisionmaking positions in business.”

Public Law 102-166—November 21, 1991

Civil Rights Act of 1991

Section 203

A SOLID INVESTMENT:MAKING FULL USE OF THE

NATION’S HUMAN CAPITAL
A SOLID INVESTMENT:

Recommendations of the

Federal Glass Ceiling

Commission

Washington, D.C.

November 1995

MAKING FULL USE OF THE

NATION’S HUMAN CAPITAL
The Honorable Robert B. Reich, Chair

Secretary of Labor

Mrs. Patricia V. Asip

National Manager of Multi-Cultural Affairs

J.C. Penney Company

Mr. Alphonso Brown

Principal

Brown Consulting Groups

Mrs. Joanne M. Collins

Assistant Vice President

United Missouri Bank of Kansas City

Mrs. Maria Contreras-Sweet

Vice President of Public Affairs

Seven-Up Royal Crown Bottling Company

Hispanics Organized for Political Equality

Mr. Earl G. Graves

President and Chief Executive Officer

Black Enterprise Magazine

The Honorable John T. Jenkins

Mayor

City of Lewiston, Maine

Ms. Beverly A. King

President

King & Wright Consulting Inc.

Ms. Jean Ledwith King

Attorney-at-Law

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ms. Judith L. Lichtman

President

Women’s Legal Defense Fund

The Honorable Nita M. Lowey

U.S. House of Representatives

New York 18th District

The Honorable Patty Murray

United States Senate

State of Washington

Dr. Lynne O’Shea

President and Chief Operating Officer

Shalit Place, L.L.C

Mrs. Marilyn B. Pauly

President

BANK IV Kansas

Mrs. Delia M. Reyes

President

Reyes Consulting Corporation

The Honorable Olympia J. Snowe

United States Senate

State of Maine

Ms. M. Anne Szostak

Senior Vice President

Fleet Financial Group

Mr. Henry Tang

Managing Director

Jeffries and Company

Mrs. Carol Cox Wait

President and Chief Executive Officer

Committee for a Responsible Federal 

Budget

Ms. Judith B. Wierciak

Director of Special Programs & Administration

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.

Ms. Rene A. Redwood

Executive Director 

Designated Federal Official

THE COMMISSIONERS
Message from the Chair Page 4

Acknowledgements Page 7

Introduction Page 9

Summary of Recommendations Page 13

Introduction to the Business Recommendations Page 17

Introduction to the Government Recommendations Page 31

Societal Initiatives Page 45

Next Steps Page 55

Resources Page 57

TABLE OF CONTENTS
The “glass ceiling” is a concept that betrays America’s most cherished principles. It is the unseen,

yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the

corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements.

The American Dream is about opportunities for all. This country has drawn tens of millions of immigrants with the promise that all citizens could succeed if they worked hard and played by the rules.

Yet, the glass ceiling denies millions of Americans opportunities for economic and personal advancement.

Over the past 30 years, we have made great progress in bringing down barriers that prevented large

numbers of citizens from fully participating in our society. Yet, the existence of the glass ceiling tells

us that there is still work to be done. A phrase coined to describe the difficulties women have in rising

to the upper echelons of business, the glass ceiling is now understood to be an obstacle to minorities as

well.

The Glass Ceiling Commission was established in 1991 to study these barriers and issue recommendations for eliminating these hindrances “to the advancement of women and minorities” to “management

and decisionmaking positions.” These recommendations, which follow last spring’s fact-finding report

— Good for Business: Making Full Use of the Nation’s Human Capital — complete the

Commission’s valuable work. 

The glass ceiling is not only an egregious denial of social justice that affects two-thirds of the population, but a serious economic problem that takes a huge financial toll on American business. Equity

demands that we destroy the glass ceiling. Smart business demands it as well.

The glass ceiling is intertwined with a broader set of problems afflicting America’s economy and wellbeing. During the last 15 years, virtually all of this nation’s economic growth went to the wealthiest

fifth of American households. The United States is now the most stratified major society in the indus4

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
5

trial world, as incomes have fallen for the poor and stagnated for the middle class. For 30 years after

World War II, America grew together — although minorities and women did not get their fair share of

the growing pie. Since 1979, America has been growing apart.

What’s gone wrong? The economy has undergone profound changes: Markets have become globalized. The creation and distribution of information have supplanted the production of goods. The composition of the workforce has radically changed. And education has become a fault line dividing winners from losers. 

But it is not the only fault line. Discrimination — the glass ceiling, in particular — remains another

deep line of demarcation between those who prosper and those left behind.

I repeat: It is not only a matter of fair play, but an economic imperative that the glass ceiling be shattered. It matters to the bottom line for businesses and to the future economic stability of America’s

families. 

Independent research has shown that companies that go the extra mile in hiring and promoting minorities and women are more profitable. A study of the Standard and Poors 500 by Covenant Investment

Management found that businesses committed to promoting minority and women workers had an average annualized return on investment of 18.3 percent over a five-year period, compared with only 7.9

percent for those with the most shatter-proof glass ceilings.

In addition, many business leaders see the demographic handwriting on the wall: Minorities and

women make up a growing percentage of the workforce and consumer market. Thus, managerial talent

must be drawn from an increasingly diverse pool. Many corporate leaders also realize that if companies treat their workers well, morale and productivity improve. What’s more, they know that consumers and communities also respond favorably to businesses with good employment practices. In this

increasingly diverse marketplace, companies must be prepared to do business with customers, competitors and partners who are also increasingly diverse.

As these recommendations suggest, if America’s businesses fully utilized the nation’s human capital,

they would be making a solid investment. They would be doing good, and doing good for themselves.
Sadly, for millions of Americans — as well as for our $7 trillion economy — America’s vast human

resources are not being fully utilized because of glass-ceiling barriers.

While minorities and women have made strides in the last 30 years, and employers increasingly recognize the value of workforce diversity, the executive suite is still overwhelmingly a white man’s world.

Over half of all Master’s degrees are now awarded to women, yet 95 percent of senior-level managers

of the top Fortune 1000 industrial and 500 service companies are men. Of them, 97 percent are white.

African Americans, Hispanics, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and American Indians also

remain woefully under-represented in the upper echelons of American business. 

The Commission’s recommendations emphasize that government must lead by example, followed by

strong commitment and leadership from corporate America. Yet, action by government and business

are not enough. For real change to occur, bias and discrimination must be banished from the boardrooms and executive suites of corporate America.

These recommendations build upon strategies that companies and government are already using to end

discrimination. The recommendations must be seen as a beginning, not the end. We as a nation, and in

particular corporate leaders, must continue to strive to overcome the barriers that keep minorities and

women from advancing. We also must encourage the development of business organizations that

reflect our population. 

The Commission’s work clearly shows that breaking the glass ceiling opens avenues to the American

Dream, and gives all Americans the opportunity to benefit from and contribute to economic growth.

Economic gains must, and can, be shared by all.

Its recommendations also help point the way for America’s growing “anxious class” to once again

become a larger and more confident middle class. When glass ceilings are forever shattered, we will

have succeeded in using our greatest asset — the insights and talents of all our working people — to

their fullest potential. The permanent destruction of the glass ceiling will be a profound legacy we

must leave for future generations. 

6
7

Breaking glass ceiling barriers in corporate

America will not result from any single act

or event. Rather, it will be the culmination of a

process involving people and organizations from

all segments of our society.

A Solid Investment: Making Full Use of the

Nation’s Human Capital is also the culmination

of a process, and the Glass Ceiling Commission

wishes to thank everyone who contributed ideas

and information over the past four years. The

involvement of many people from business, government, academia, and the non-profit sector

helped the Commission focus its thinking and

formulate its recommendations. 

Many individuals gave generously to the creation

and production of this recommendations report.

The Commission acknowledges the dedicated

work of the Commission staff at the Department

of Labor: communications director Gordon Berg,

executive assistant Loretta Davis, research coordinator Howard S. Hankerson, automation clerk

Margaret Rimson, deputy director Lisa Osborne

Ross, and the Commission’s executive director,

René A. Redwood.

Special thanks go to Stephen Gaskill, the writer

of the report. Also to Siobhan Nicolau and

Georgianna McGuire for reviewing the manuscript and to Carol Gaudin for her technical

advice.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to those individuals who,

beyond their regular duties, greatly 

facilitated the work of the Commission.

Katharine Abraham

Annie Blackwell

Gale Black

Gary Buff

Diane Crothers

Kathy Curran

Diane Davis

Tommie Duncan

Sheila Dustin

Ronald Edwards

Jocelyn Frye

Patricia Hidalgo

Hank Hoover

Mark Hunker

Angela Jackson

Diana Johnston

Paul Kaplan

Cathrael Kazin

Angelique Larson

Anne Lewis

Michael McElroy

Cynthia Metzler

Miriam Miller 

Joachim Neckere

Holly Nelson

Rita Pando

Karin Pedrick

Thomas Plewes

Hermelinda Pompa

Ruth Samardick

Yvonne Sims 

Charles Smith

Stephanie Swirsky

Vincent Trivelli

Brenda Vaughn

Aaron Ward

Betty Williams

Seth Zinman

Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 created the 21-member, bipartisan Federal Glass

Ceiling Commission. The Commission’s mandate is to study the barriers to the advancement

of minorities and women within corporate hierarchies (the problem known as the glass ceiling), to

issue a report on its findings and conclusions,

and to make recommendations on ways to dismantle the glass ceiling.

The Commission undertook an extensive

research and information gathering effort,

including public hearings, surveys of chief executive officers, and interviews with focus groups.

This work culminated with the spring 1995

release of the Commission’s report, Good For

Business: Making Full Use of the Nation’s

Human Capital. The Commission now completes its work, with the release of its recommendations in A Solid Investment: Making Full

Use of the Nation’s Human Capital. 

The glass ceiling is a reality in corporate

America. Glass ceiling barriers continue to deny

untold numbers of qualified people the opportunity to compete for and hold executive level positions in the private sector. The relationship

between glass ceilings, equal opportunity and

affirmative action is complex, as the findings

contained in Good for Business demonstrate.

Minorities and women are still consistently

underrepresented and under utilized at the highest levels of corporate America. For example, 97

percent of the senior managers of Fortune 1000

Industrial and Fortune 500 companies are white,

and 95 to 97 percent are male; in the Fortune

2000 industrial and service companies, only 5

percent of senior managers are women, and

almost all of them are white; African American

men with professional degrees earn 21 percent

less than their white counterparts holding the

same degrees in the same job categories. But

women and African Americans are not the only

ones kept down by the glass ceiling. Only 0.4

percent of managers are Hispanic, although

Hispanics make up eight percent of America’s

workforce. Asian and Pacific Islander Americans

earn less than whites in comparable positions

and receive fewer promotions, despite more formal education than other groups. Generally, the

lack of educational opportunity drastically

reduces the available pool of Amercian Indian

candidates and CEOs rarely consider them for

management jobs. These numbers are put in

Readers should review “Good for

Business”, the Commissions fact

finding report, to understand the data

supporting these recommendations

INTRODUCTION

9
context by the fact that in our society, two-thirds

of the population — and 57 percent of workers

— are women, minorities or both. 

Corporate leaders increasingly are cognizant of

both the existence of the glass ceiling and the

value of workforce diversity at the management

and decisionmaking levels. What motivates

companies that have begun to take steps to break

glass ceiling barriers? The bottom line.

Business leaders see the changes taking place in

the demographics of national consumer markets

and the labor force, and the rapid globalization

of the marketplace. They know that these conditions affect the ability of their companies to survive and prosper — and that the existence of the

glass ceiling keeps them from adapting to these

conditions efficiently and effectively. 

The glass ceiling can affect the bottom line in

other ways, too. Companies that make full use

of diverse human resources at home will be better prepared for the challenges involved in managing even more diverse workforces in the

emerging global economy. Companies with

strong records for developing and advancing

minorities and women will find it easier to

recruit members of those groups. Companies

whose cultures are hospitable to minorities and

women will find it easier to retain those employees, or incur additional recruitment and training

costs due to turnover. Increasing the number of

minorities and women in areas such as product

development, marketing and advertising allows

companies to maximize their ability to tap into

many segments of the consumer market.

Overall, a poor diversity track record can make

companies vulnerable to activist consumer

groups.

To compete successfully at home and abroad,

businesses must make full use of the resources

embodied in our people — all of our people.

Individuals of all races and both genders are

entering our workforce in increasing numbers.

By the year 2000, two-thirds of new labor force

entrants will be minorities and women, yet the

glass ceiling prevents qualified people of diverse

backgrounds from achieving top management

positions. Over the past 30 years government

and business have taken steps to provide access

for minorities and women to all levels of

employment. These efforts must continue, but

business must take the initiative to go beyond

what it has achieved to date. Successful companies will be those that seize the opportunity presented by increased diversity, to create a world in

which inclusion is elicited and not coerced, and

work to increase both the diversity of their workforces and the opportunities available to all

members of their workforce. 

10
THE RECOMMENDATIONS

True to its mandate, the Commission offers its

recommendations as a strategy for shattering the

glass ceiling once and for all. The glass ceiling

is, in the first instance, a business issue, and we

must look for solutions in the world of business.

The recommendations begin with steps businesses can take to dismantle barriers within their corporate structures. 

Business does not operate in a vacuum. It

reflects the attitudes and conditions of society as

a whole, and other segments of society must also

contribute to ending the glass ceiling. The recommendations turn, then, to ways in which government can most effectively play a part in delivering for its customers — the citizens — by

breaking glass ceiling barriers. Finally, the

report discusses societal initiatives to enlist

schools, the media, community organizations and

other institutions in helping to bring down the

glass ceiling. 

But the recommendations offered by the

Commission can only be the beginning. There

must be an open and continuing dialogue on how

to move this issue to the forefront, with business

leading, not following. Business to business

communications — peer-to-peer CEO sessions,

roundtables and industry forums — must play a

central role in the process to break the glass ceiling.

The Commission believes that every member of

our society should have the opportunity to strive

for positions of responsibility and leadership,

regardless of their gender, race or ethnic background. The concept of upward mobility needs

to be kept alive in our culture; it is vital to our

nation’s future. These recommendations are submitted in the belief that they will help to shatter

the glass ceiling in American business and in so

doing enable business to fully utilize our most

precious resource — our people.

11
14
Eliminating the glass ceiling requires that the CEO communicate visible and continuing commitment

to workforce diversity throughout the organization. The Commission recommends that all CEOs and

boards of directors set companywide policies that actively promote diversity programs and policies

that remove artificial barriers at every level. 

Businesses customarily establish short- and long-term objectives and measure progress in key business

areas. The Commission recommends that all corporations include in their strategic business plans

efforts to achieve diversity both at the senior management level and throughout the workforce.

Additionally, performance appraisals, compensation incentives and other evaluation measures must

reflect a line manager’s ability to set a high standard and demonstrate progress toward breaking the

glass ceiling.

Affirmative action is the deliberate undertaking of positive steps to design and implement

employment procedures that ensure the employment system provides equal opportunity to all. The

Commission recommends that corporate America use affirmative action as a tool ensuring that all

qualified individuals have equal access and opportunity to compete based on ability and merit.

Traditional prerequisites and qualifications for senior management and board of director positions

focus too narrowly on conventional sources and experiences. The Commission recommends that organizations expand their vision and seek candidates from non-customary sources, backgrounds and

experiences, and that the executive recruiting industry work with businesses to explore ways to expand

the universe of qualified candidates.

13

Demonstrate CEO

commitment

Include diversity in all

strategic business plans and

hold line managers

accountable for progress

Use affirmative action as a tool

Select, promote and retain

qualified individuals

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

BUSINESS
Too often, minorities and women find themselves channeled into staff positions that provide little

access and visibility to corporate decisionmakers, and removed from strategic business decisions. The

Commission recommends that organizations expand access to core areas of the business and to 

various developmental experiences, and establish formal mentoring programs that provide career guidance and support to prepare minorities and women for senior positions.

Organizations cannot make members of society blind to differences in color, culture or gender, but

they can demand and enforce merit-based practice and behavior internally. The Commission recommends that companies provide formal training at regular intervals on company time to sensitize and

familiarize all employees about the strengths and challenges of gender, racial, ethnic and cultural differences.

Work/life and family-friendly policies, although they benefit all employees, are an important step in an

organization’s commitment to hiring, retaining and promoting both men and women. The

Commission recommends that organizations adopt policies that recognize and accommodate the balance between work and family responsibilities that impact the lifelong career paths of all employees.

There is a positive relationship between corporate financial performance, productivity and the use of

high performance workplace practices. The Commission recommends that all companies adopt high

performance workplace practices, which fall under the categories of skills and information; participation, organization and partnership; and compensation, security and work environment.

14

Prepare minorities and women

for senior positions

Educate the corporate ranks

Initiate work/life and

family-friendly policies

Adopt high performance workplace practices
Government at all levels must be a leader in the quest to make equal opportunity a reality for

minorities and women. The Commission recommends that all government agencies, as employers,

increase their efforts to eliminate internal glass ceilings by examining their practices for promoting

qualified minorities and women to senior management and decisionmaking positions.

Workplace discrimination presents a significant glass ceiling barrier for minorities and women. The

Commission recommends that Federal enforcement agencies increase their efforts to enforce existing

laws by expanding efforts to end systemic discrimination and challenging multiple discrimination.

The Commission also recommends evaluating effectiveness and efficiency and strengthening interagency coordination as a way of furthering the effort. Additionally, updating anti-discrimination regulations, strengthening and expanding corporate management reviews and improving the complaint

processing system play major roles in ending discrimination. Finally, the Commission recommends

making sure that enforcement agencies have adequate resources to enforce anti-discrimination laws.

Accurate data on minorities and women can show where progress is or is not being made in breaking

glass ceiling barriers. The Commission recommends that relevant government agencies revise the collection of data by refining existing data categories and improving the specificity of data collected. All

government agencies that collect data must break it out by race and gender, and avoid double counting

of minority women, in order to develop a clear picture of where minorities and women are in the

workforce.

Public disclosure of diversity data — specifically, data on the most senior positions — is an effective

incentive to develop and maintain innovative, effective programs to break glass ceiling barriers. The

Commission recommends that both the public and private sectors work toward increased public disclosure of diversity data.

15

Lead by example

Strengthen enforcement of 

anti-discrimination laws

Improve data collection

Increase disclosure of

diversity data

GOVERNMENT

Business Recommendations
Breaking the glass ceiling is an economic priority that this nation can no longer afford to

ignore. It is an economic imperative driven by

recent dramatic shifts in three areas that are

fundamental to business success: (1) changes in

the demographics of the labor force; (2)

changes in the demographics of national consumer markets; and (3) the rapid globalization

of the marketplace.

To compete successfully in this new environment, our nation needs the talents of all qualified individuals regardless of race, gender or

ethnicity at the highest levels of corporate

America. The goal is to develop a true merit

system that allows individuals to rise to the top

based on their own skills and talents, and to

compensate achievers for a job well done. 

The Commission believes that government and

business are societal institutions uniquely able to

impact workplace behavior and attitudes toward

minorities and women. Businesses must develop

and implement programs to break the glass ceiling, and must make such efforts an intrinsic part

of corporate planning and management.

Whether by dedicating budgetary and other

resources to new diversity programs, highlighting existing practices to encourage the business

community to act or developing creative new

approaches, business has the capacity to draft

strategies that address the shortage of minorities

and women in boardrooms and senior management. For instance, corporations must exercise

responsibility in their selection of sponsorships

of events in the community, the type of advertising they run, and the programming and outlets in

which that advertising is placed.

In Good For Business, the Commission identified seven elements of comprehensive, systemic

business practices to breaking the glass ceiling

including leadership and career development;

rotation/nontraditional employment; mentoring;

accountability programs; succession planning;

workforce diversity initiatives; and family

friendly programs. Taken together, these elements comprise a corporate “best practices”

agenda, that must become standard practice.

Key to the success of these efforts is the active

support of corporate leadership, whose commitment will change the corporate culture. Fully

utilizing the resources of minorities and women

18 is essential to long-term corporate profitability. 

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUSINESS RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendation

Eliminating the glass ceiling requires that the

CEO communicate visible and continuing commitment to workforce diversity throughout the

organization. The Commission recommends that

all CEOs and boards of directors set companywide policies that actively promote diversity programs and policies that remove artificial barriers at every level.

Breaking glass ceiling barriers must start where

the ceiling is — at the top. By changing the way

an organization deals with the issue of diversity,

CEOs can successfully position their companies

to confront the dramatic changes occurring both

in domestic and international markets as well as

in the workforce. Improving workforce diversity

at the top and throughout the company is a longterm process affecting all employees. The CEO

must raise the issue of diversity, keep it visible

and viable, and drive it through every level of the

company. A CEO with the vision and commitment to stay the course will ensure that the organization will draw its future leaders from the

largest talent pool available.

All materials flowing from the corporation must

reflect that diversity is a core value of the organization — statements in annual reports, correspondence from the CEO, employee handbooks,

recruiting brochures, newsletters and video messages for all employees. Updates on the company’s diversity initiative can be provided at stockholder meetings. As a consequence, external

audiences — customers, stockholders, suppliers,

and the community at large — will come to

understand that diversity is the corporate philosophy and employment objective of the company.

19

The Los Angeles Times

Shelby Coffey III, Editor and

Executive Vice President of The

Los Angeles Times, was awarded

the 1995 Ida B. Wells Award “for

exemplary courage in guiding

the Los Angeles Times — while it

was downsizing — to increase

hiring diversity in one of the

nation’s most dynamic markets;

for doubling the percentage of

minority professionals and

tripling minority line editors and

executives to 18.7 percent in six

years; and for bold leadership,

using aggressive internal guidelines to amass the nation’s

largest number of minority professionals in supervisory positions at a single newspaper.”

.

DEMONSTRATE CEO COMMITMENT
This chart was developed in October 1995 by IBM’s Global Diversity Council. The Council has identified five global issues to be addressed by each IBM geographic region, in addition to other specific

regional issues. The five global issues are cultural awareness/acceptance; multilingualism; diversity

of the management team; women; and workplace flexibility/balance

Recommendation

Businesses customarily establish short- and

long-term objectives and measure progress in key

business areas. The Commission recommends

that all corporations include in their strategic

business plans efforts to achieve diversity both at

the senior management level and throughout the

workforce. Additionally, performance

appraisals, compensation incentives and other

evaluation measures must reflect a line manager’s ability to set a high standard and demonstrate progress toward breaking the glass ceiling.

The drive to break the glass ceiling must be positioned and measured with the same level of support as other business practices that lead to longterm corporate profitability. It is important to

note, however, that there is no one formula for

measuring diversity success. Careful and constant monitoring — as with profits, capital

investment, productivity, market share and quality — allows a corporation to know what’s working and what’s not. Non-performing processes

can be altered, and successful practices can be

expanded.

The role of the manager is also critical. Line

managers need to know that there are consequences for failing to honor diversity commitments and opportunity just as there are rewards

for success. Linking pay, promotion and bonuses

to accomplishments of diversity objectives — as

with other business goals — sends a clear message throughout the organization that inclusiveness is being assessed and will be rewarded. 

Recommendation

20

INCLUDE DIVERSITY IN ALL STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANS AND HOLD

LINE MANAGERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR PROGRESS
21

GLOBAL WORKFORCE DIVERSITY CHALLENGES

UNITED STATES

EXECUTIVE TASK FORCES

DEPENDENT CARE

DOMESTIC PARTNERS

GLASS CEILING/WALLS

-WOMEN OF COLOR

SOCIAL ISSUES

-AFFIRMATIVE

 ACTION DEBATE

-AGING

-EDUCATION

-GROUP DEFINITIONS

-IMMIGRATION

-REDISTRICTING

-WORK EXPORTATION

LATIN AMERICA

CULTURAL CONSERVATISM

HEALTH/EDUCATION ACCESS

INCOME DISPARITY

CANADA

AFFINITY FOCUS GROUPS

CREDENTIALISM

IBM REPRESENTATION

-PERSON WITH

DISABILITIES

-ABORIGINAL PEOPLE

INFORMAL NETWORK

PROGRAM UTILIZATION

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST AFRICA

AGING

-ELDER CARE

-WORKFORCE

SOUTH AFRICA

EXTERNAL

-MODEL FOR AFRICA

-ECONOMIC GROWTH

-INTERNAL STABILITY

-INTERNATIONAL

CONFIDENCE

INTERNAL

-EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING, &

 DEVELOPMENT

ASIA/PACIFIC

AGING

DISABILITY

SOCIAL CONSERVATISM

CULTURAL AWARENESS/ACCEPTAN CE

MULTI-LINGUALISM

DIVERSITY OF OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM

WOMEN

WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY/BALANCE
Affirmative action is the deliberate undertaking

of positive steps to design and implement

employment procedures that ensure the employment system provides equal opportunity to all.

The Commission recommends that corporate

America use affirmative action as a tool ensuring

that all qualified individuals have equal access

and opportunity to compete based on ability and

merit.

Affirmative action, properly implemented, does

not mean imposing quotas, allowing preferential

treatment or employing or promoting unqualified people. It means opening the system and casting a wide net to recruit, train and promote opportunities for advancement for people who can contribute effectively to a corporation and, consequently, the nation’s economic stability.

The definition of affirmative action embodies

efforts to increase the supply of qualified individuals of all ethnic groups and both genders.

Having access to widely different ethnic, racial,

and social backgrounds accelerates the quest for

corporate excellence. One of our nation’s greatest assets is our diversity — it is our strength. As

commerce becomes more global and competitive,

it is imperative that businesses engage the full

potential of our labor force, which is increasingly

composed of women and minorities from diverse

backgrounds and cultures. 

Recommendation

22

Excerpt from Reaffirmation of Affirmative Action at GM, a statement by John F. Smith, Jr., Chief

Executive Officer and President, General Motors:

“When it comes to affirmative action, we will continue to press the envelope, but at the same time we will

be moving to a broader concept — that is, managing diversity. As a global company, we want to fully

benefit from a diverse workforce. Our commitment to diversity extends beyond the door of our company.

It includes our dealerships, our suppliers, and the many communities we operate in. In our industry, as

in this nation, our diversity is our strength. This diversity is more than merely part of our national heritage; it is part of our national pride. Having people of widely different ethnic, racial and social backgrounds in our corporation has not slowed our pursuit of excellence — it has accelerated it. We will continue to do everything possible to bring minority group members and women into General Motors and

the mainstream economy. We cannot, must not, waste this talent.”

USE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AS A TOOL
Traditional prerequisites and qualifications for

senior management and board of director positions focus too narrowly on conventional sources

and experiences. The Commission recommends

that organizations expand their vision and seek

candidates from non-customary sources, backgrounds and experiences, and that the executive

recruiting industry work with businesses to

explore ways to expand the universe of qualified

candidates. 

Most organizations still prefer to find senior

executives from within their own ranks, perpetuating the “old school network” in which a limited

range of job titles and experiences artificially

restricts the candidate pool. Corporate America

has not yet demonstrated the flexibility required

to expand the traditional recruiting network, nor

has it appeared comfortable with people holding

unusual or innovative job experiences. Business

needs to assess more accurately and broadly the

actual skills and characteristics people must possess to do specific jobs, including talents, knowledge and abilities.

CEOs frequently assert that they do not know

where to look for potential women or minority

executives. An abundance of experienced and

potential executive talent lies in places many corporations seldom consider, both inside and outside

the corporation, including nonprofits, minority

and women’s advocacy organizations, women’s

colleges, colleges and universities with historical

ties to particular ethnic groups, and the military. 

The Commission recognizes that executive

search firms are on the frontline in assisting in

the recruitment of highly visible senior slots and

board of director positions. Corporations should

demand that executive search firms provide

diversity profiles of the search firm itself as well

as the candidates it represents. The Commission

believes the executive search industry has a

three-fold responsibility: (1) to recommend to its

clients a diverse array of candidates for specific

positions, even when not specifically requested

to do so; (2) to expand its outreach to identify

minorities and women; and, (3) to examine its

own hiring practices and workforce composition

to ensure diversity. 

Recommendation

23

The Association of 

Executive Search Consultants

The Association of Executive Search

Consultants (AESC) represents 123 executive search consulting firms worldwide. It

estabilshes professional and ethical standards for its members and provides infromation to the media and public on the field

of executive search.

AESC’s Mission and Professional Practice

Guidelines include the provision that

“AESC members affirm without reservation

the principles of equal opportunity in

employment. As a matter of policy and

practice, member organizations of the

AESC do not and will not discriminate

against qualified candidates for any unlawful reason, including race, religion, gender,

national origin, age or 

disability. AESC members encourage and

anticipate that their clients will also comply

with non-discrimination policies and 

practices.”

In 1993, the AESC Annual Conference’s

theme was “Professionalism in the age of

Diversity.”

Discussions at that conference led to the

creation in 1993 of AESC’s Diversity Task

Force. It considered such issues as how

client diversity initiatives affect executive

search(a vast majority of AESC member

firms have conducted searches geared to

developing diversity candidates in the last

12 months) and internal diversity intiatives

of AESC member firms (benchmarking in

1993 shows that AESC member firms have

strong initiatives in place to continue to

diversify their professional staff.)

AESC, as part of its present program activities, is providing information and guidance

materials designed to advance diversity

goals.

SELECT, PROMOTE AND RETAIN QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) is a national association of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) — specifically nonprofit, accredited colleges

and universities where Hispanics constitute a minimum of 25 percent of the total enrollment at either the undergraduate or graduate level. The mission of HACU is three-fold:

-to promote the development of member colleges and universities;

-to improve access to and thequality of post-secondary educational opportunities for Hispanic students;and 

-to meet the needs of business, industry, and government through the development and sharingof resources, information,and expertise.
Interestingly, the first mentor

appears to have been a woman.

In ancient Greek mythology, the

goddess Athene (also known as

Minerva) advised and guided the

young Telemachus in Homer’s

classic The Odyssey. Disguised

as Mentor, a man, Athene skillfully set Telemachus on his

course for discovering the fate of

his father. Athene, Zeus’ favorite

child, was the protector of civilized life, and was the first to

tame horses for human use.

Too often, minorities and women find themselves

channeled into staff positions that provide little

access and visibility to corporate decisionmakers, and removed from strategic business decisions. The Commission recommends that organizations expand access to core areas of the business and to various developmental experiences,

and establish formal mentoring programs that

provide career guidance and support to prepare

minorities and women for senior positions.

Organizations must identify and place all high

potential employees, including minorities and

women, into leadership and career development

programs to foster and build the skills managers

need to lead a company in a changing competitive climate. Since the career path to senior

management may take many years, these programs must be linked to the organization’s

immediate and long-range business objectives

and goals. Characteristics of successful

programs that prime the pipeline to the

executive suite include:

● rotational and non-traditional job assign

ments that broaden the base of a candi

date’s experience and visibility;

● specific career path programs that

identify objective performance, skill, and 

knowledge criteria for advancement; 

● employee-sponsored networks and

affinity groups;

● access to specialized training, seminars 

and workshops; and

● formal succession planning.

Another key method of executive development is

a formal mentoring program that provides guidance to future executives within the corporate

structure. Smart corporations also must accelerate their efforts to build expertise and empower

people lacking role models and advisors throughout the community by making senior executives

available to young adults who will be future

business leaders.

Recommendation

24

PREPARE MINORITIES AND WOMEN FOR SENIOR POSITIONS
25

“Workforce diversity is a priority

at Xerox and adds value to our

business. Diversity of our workforce requires an openness by all

employees in respect to age,

race, gender and thought. The

Xerox corporate culture must be

continually reshaped so that

Xerox and Xerox employees alike

obtain the full benefits of a workplace in which diversity is cultivated, nurtured and rewarded.”

Paul Allaire,Chairman and CEO

Xerox Corporation

First winner of the PerkinsDole National Award for

Diversity and Excellence in

AmericanExecutiveManagement

Organizations cannot make members of society

blind to differences in color, culture, or gender,

but they can demand and enforce merit-based

practice and behavior internally. The

Commission recommends that companies provide formal training at regular intervals on company time to sensitize and familiarize all employees about the strengths and challenges of gender,

racial, ethnic, and cultural differences.

Employees who understand and respect gender,

racial and ethnic differences will work together

more cooperatively and be more committed to

the success of the company. Educating the corporate ranks means creating a workplace environment that is welcoming and open to all

employees regardless of age, race, gender and

thought, and respects and values each individual

for his or her unique skills, talents and abilities.

Diversity training that addresses stereotypes and

preconceptions, issues of sexual and racial

harassment, cultural differences and styles of

communication is critical to breaking glass ceiling barriers. Diversity training comes in many

forms and must include employees from all levels and sections of an organization brought

together for open, honest, and non-confrontational sharing and feedback. By allowing people to

understand their conscious and unconscious

notions about gender and race, diversity training

debunks myths about the suitability of minorities

and women for executive careers, which is an

important step in breaking the glass ceiling.

There is no one right method of training for diversity awareness. Organizations must tailor their

programs according to the composition of the

workforce and the particular strategic goals and

objectives of the company. Senior corporate leaders should monitor and receive regular feedback to

ensure that training objectives are integrated with

business objectives and that individuals change

their workplace behavior accordingly.

Recommendation

EDUCATE THE CORPORATE RANKS
26

Work/life and family-friendly policies, although

they benefit all employees, are an important step

in an organization’s commitment to hiring,

retaining and promoting both men and women.

The Commission recommends that organizations

adopt policies that recognize and accommodate

the balance between work and family responsibilities that impact the lifelong career paths of

all employees.

Family- friendly policies improve productivity

and reduce costs by relieving workers of non-job

related worries, and allow them to focus on business objectives. A survey conducted by the

Conference Board about the value of work/life

programs found that nearly 80 percent of the

respondents thought that the introduction of such

programs helped all employees pursue career

advancement. Corporations that make available

flexible work arrangements, elder and child care,

family leave benefits, support groups, relocation

assistance and other initiatives report significant

reductions in absenteeism, tardiness and

turnover. 

These policies demonstrate that the company values the individual, and realizes that activities outside of the office help a worker keep his or her

perspective. Work/life policies provide a broader

support network for working men and women,

affording them greater opportunities to advance

their careers.

Recommendation

INITIATE WORK/LIFE AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES
There is a positive relationship between corporate financial performance, productivity and the

use of high performance workplace practices.

The Commission recommends that all companies

adopt high performance practices, which fall

under the categories of skills and information;

participation, organization and partnership; and

compensation, security and work environment.

High performance workplace practices enhance

opportunities for workers at all levels within

organizations to participate in the decisionmaking process and share information about the

workings of that organization. These practices

can break down barriers and organizational hierarchies within a corporation, providing greater

opportunities for minorities and women who

may have previously been denied access to such

chances.

The US Department of Labor’s “Road to High

Performance Workplaces: A Guide to Better Jobs

and Better Business Results” reports that while

some corporations may excel at one specialized

area of policy, outstanding firms are likely to

excel across a wide range of management practices. In correlating the results of Fortune

Magazine’s annual survey on corporate reputations, a 1994 Gordon Group, Inc. survey found

that companies highly regarded for their employee practices are also highly regarded with respect

to their other critical practices, including the

quality of management, the quality of products

and the ability to innovate. The study further

concluded that companies with well-respected

employee practices scored highest on critical

measures of long-term corporate performance,

including the utilization of capital and total

returns to investors. Companies that invest in

their workers see a positive impact on their skills

and talents.

27

ADOPT HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKPLACE PRACTICES
I. Skills and Information

Training and Continuous Learning

✓Are there programs to support continuous 

learning (job rotation and cross-function 

team training, for instance)?

✓Are training expenditures balanced among 

the company’s entire work force?

Information Sharing

✓Do all workers receive information on 

operating results, financial goals, and 

organizational performance? How?

✓Are there multiple mechanisms by which 

internal communication occurs so that 

information flows up, down, and across the 

organization? 

II.Participation,Organization,and

Partnership

Employee Participation

✓Are workers actively involved in 

continuously improving their work process 

and redefining their jobs? 

✓Are they actively involved in problem 

solving, selecting new technology, modifying

the product or service provided, and meeting 

with customers?

Organizational Structure

✓Are most workers organized into work 

teams with substantial autonomy?

✓Are there cross-functional teams and other 

mechanisms to share innovative ideas across 

organizational boundaries?

28

Workplace Practices Checklist
III. Compensation, Security, and 

Work Environment

Compensation Linked to Performance 

and Skills ✓Does the incentive system incorporate new 

ways of rewarding workers? ✓Is executive pay tied to corporate 

(or business unit) performance?

Employment Security ✓Are there comprehensive employment 

planning strategies and policies to minimize 

or avoid laying off workers? ✓If layoffs have occurred in recent years,

does the organization actively help laid-off 

workers to find new jobs? How?

Supportive Work Environment ✓Does the company attract and retain a 

talented work force? What is the annual 

turnover rate? Why do people leave? ✓Are family-supportive policies, such as 

flexible work schedules, child care, and/or 

elder care, in place? ✓Does the organization actively hire, train,

retain, and promote a diverse work force?

IV. Putting It All Together ✓Does the company fully integrate its human

resource policies and workplace practices 

with other essential business strategies? ✓Are quality and continuous improvement 

efforts meshed with training, work 

organization, employee involvement, and 

alternative compensation programs?

29

Government Recommendations
The concept of equal opportunity is woven into

the fabric of our society. Our government

embraces this concept and supports programs

and policies that attempt to make it a reality for

all people. 

Laws, legal decisions, and executive orders have

given the government an active role in making

equal employment opportunity a reality for qualified minorities and women. Beginning in 1941,

strides have been made in eliminating employment barriers for minorities and women, when

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the first

executive order forbidding race discrimination by

Federal contractors. Starting in 1963, following

passage of an important civil rights law designed

to attack continuing discrimination, the government assumed a more active role in monitoring

and enforcing anti-discrimination laws. For

example, another executive order, signed by

President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, prohibited

sex discrimination by Federal contractors.

There is no stronger endorsement for an idea

than adopting it. Government is a major player

in the drive to break the glass ceiling, and therefore must lead by example. The Commission

recommends that government -- at all levels --

take the lead in efforts to provide equal opportunity to all.

While barriers that block the access of minorities

and women to managerial and executive positions cannot be eliminated solely by government

action, there is an appropriate role for the public

sector. In Good For Business, the Commission

identified three areas where government action is

crucial to breaking glass ceiling barriers. The

following summarizes what those needs are and

the Commission's recommendations to meet

them:

● Vigorous and consistent law enforcement

The Commission recommends that Federal

enforcement agencies increase their efforts to

enforce existing anti-discrimination laws. These

laws include the Equal Pay Act, Title VII of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246

(which prohibits discrimination in hiring or

employment opportunities on the basis of race,

color, religion, sex and national origin), the Age

Discrimination in Employment Act, the

32 Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Americans

INTRODUCTION TO THE GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
33

with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act of

1991. In addition, the Family and Medical Leave

Act, while not directly dealing with discrimination, creates a family-friendly and flexible work

environment. 

The Commission approves seeking strong remedies, including affirmative action. Accordingly,

strong enforcement agency coordination is necessary if efforts to improve enforcement and effectiveness are to be successful. Further, multiple

discrimination must be challenged head-on, corporate management reviews that help identify

where workers are in the organizational pipeline

must be strengthened, and the complaint processing system must be streamlined. Each of these

initiatives helps break the glass ceiling. ● Collection and disaggregation of

employment-related data

The Commission supports the concept of government-wide consistency in collection methods,

definitions and categories, and encourages all

agencies wherever possible to make data available not only by race and ethnicity but also within each category by gender. Agencies within the

Federal government collect information for different reasons; however, consistent data collection throughout the government would permit

wider and more accurate interagency and industry comparisons. In addition, consistent collection methods would also provide for easier interpretation and use of the data by academics,

researchers, and the public. ● Reporting and dissemination of information relevant to glass ceiling issues. 

Increasing the number of minorities and women

in the corporate hierarchical pipeline is the outcome of breaking the glass ceiling. In order to

track progress, information on where minorities

and women are must be collected and reported.

Information on the status of minorities and

women in the workplace can be disseminated

through technical assistance processes already in

place.

For example, the Office of Federal Contract

Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has a strong

program of compliance assistance to help contractors understand their contractual obligations

for equal employment opportunities and affirma-
tive action. OFCCP provides technical assistance and guidance to contractors on how to

establish an affirmative action program. Staff

from the district and regional offices hold workshops and seminars, joint training programs with

industry liaison groups and one-on-one consultations for contractors. In addition, the Equal

Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

provides educational and outreach activities for

individuals who have historically been victims of

job bias through its Technical Training Institute.

34
Recommendation

Government at all levels must be a leader in the

quest to make equal opportunity a reality for

minorities and women. The Commission recommends that all government agencies, as employers, increase their efforts to eliminate internal

glass ceilings by examining their practices for

promoting qualified minorities and women to

senior management and decisionmaking positions.

In its report, "Civil Service 2000," the Office of

Personnel Management (OPM) recognized the

need to continue emphasizing hiring, training and

promoting minorities and women. While the percentages of minorities and women have been

increasing in grades 13 to 15 and in the Senior

Executive Service, the Commission believes that

government agencies can further improve this

record. Government agencies should design

recruitment, training, mentoring, and job development plans to help qualified minorities and women

enter and climb the career ladders that lead to managerial and decisionmaking positions.

Government agencies should share information,

technical assistance, and training programs which

can facilitate the development of talented minorities and women. In its role as an employer, government should lead by example. To that end, the

Commission urges government agencies to carefully consider and implement where appropriate

the Commission's recommendations.

35

LEAD BY EXAMPLE 

1990 1994

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

GS and Related Grades 1-12

Men Women

43.5%

56.5%

44%

56%

1990 1994

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

GS and Related Grades 13-15

Men Women

81.3%

18.7%

76.6%

23.4%

1990 1994

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Senior Pay Levels*

Men Women

88.9%

11.1%

82.8%

17.2%

Percent Distribution of

Federal Workers by Gender

FY 1990 vs FY 1994

Source: Office of Personnel Management's Central

Personnel Data File, Executive Branch Only.

Notes: GS and Related (GSR) pay plans include the General

Schedule (GS) pay plans similar to GS, Foreign Service

pay plans, and demonstration project pay plans.

*Senior Pay Levels include the SES and employees in other

pay systems paid above the salary for a GS-15 Step 10.

1990 Total Men Women

GS and Related Grades 1-12 83.0 72.3 93.7

GS and Related Grades 13-15 16.4 26.7 6.1

Senior Pay Levels* 0.6 1.1 0.1

1994 Total Men Women

GS and Related Grades 1-12 79.4 68.8 90.3

GS and Related Grades 13-15 19.7 29.7 9.4

Senior Pay Levels* 0.9 1.5 0.3

Percent Distribution of Workforce
Recommendation

Workplace discrimination presents a significant

glass ceiling barrier for minorities and women.

The Commission recommends that Federal

enforcement agencies increase their efforts to

enforce existing laws by expanding efforts to end

systemic discrimination and challenging multiple

discrimination. The Commission also recommends evaluating effectiveness and efficiency

and strengthening interagency coordination as a

way of furthering the effort. Additionally, updating anti-discrimination regulations, strengthening and expanding corporate management

reviews and improving the complaint processing

system play major roles in ending discrimination. Finally, the Commission recommends making sure that enforcement agencies have adequate resources to enforce anti-discrimination

laws.

The Commission's fact finding report makes

clear that programs designed to expand equal

employment opportunity, like affirmative action,

work best when combined with real and vigorous

enforcement. Strong enforcement efforts give

employers an incentive to develop effective programs -- like special outreach programs, mentoring and training programs, goals and timetables,

and other affirmative action programs -- that

attack glass ceiling barriers by expanding

employment opportunities for qualified minorities and women. Better interagency coordination

will enable agencies to improve enforcement

effectiveness and seek strong remedies, including

affirmative action. Improving the enforcement

of anti-discrimination laws is central to breaking

the glass ceiling. The Commission recommends

the following actions be taken:

Expand efforts to end

systemic discrimination

The paucity of minorities and women in managerial ranks serves as a compelling reminder of

continued systemic and "pattern and practice"

discrimination. Systemic discrimination is practiced against an entire class; pattern and practice

discrimination is the regular, routine or standard

practice of discrimination by an employer

against a particular group. The Commission recommends the continuation of efforts to end systemic discrimination through a variety of means,

including bringing pattern and practice and class

action cases and expanding systemic investigation of Federal contractors.

36

STRENGTHEN ENFORCEMENT OF ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS
Challenge multiple discrimination 

Discrimination affects different cultural groups

differently. Research indicates and statistical

data show that minority women face multiple

burdens of race and gender discrimination in trying to break through glass ceiling barriers. The

Commission recommends government agencies

recognize this phenomenon and develop enforcement, outreach and public education policies to

target specific discriminatory employment practices that affect minority women.

Evaluate effectiveness and efficiency

To effectively enforce anti-discrimination laws,

government anti-discrimination agencies must

regularly evaluate and improve their existing program and policy systems. The Commission recommends that each agency review all programs

and policies (both internally and with regulated

groups), seek ways to improve operations and

Their effectiveness, and conduct regularly-scheduled meetings to review the process and the outcomes. Viewed as a working partnership

between the regulators and those regulated, these

consultations should improve fairness and effectiveness for affected parties, bolster public understanding and confidence, and assure that appropriated funds are spent in a cost-effective manner.

Strengthen interagency coordination

Strong interagency coordination -- among the

Department of Justice, the Department of Labor

and the Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission (EEOC) -- promotes efficient and

effective enforcement of anti-discrimination

laws. While these agencies have some coordination of strategies in place, it is important to

improve information sharing and ensure the best

application of resources. The Commission recommends that Federal enforcement agencies

responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination

laws continue to explore new ways to coordinate.

Update anti-discrimination regulations

Over the last 15 years, key legal and legislative

developments -- such as the Americans with

Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the

Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Family

and Medical Leave Act -- have impacted heavily

upon minorities and women. The regulations

and interpretations that agencies use to enforce

anti-discrimination laws and executive orders

must reflect current legal opinion and laws. The

Commission recommends revision of regulations

and compliance manuals to reflect changes in the

workplace, and in society, and the law.

37
Strengthen and expand corporate

management reviews

Corporate management reviews or compliance

reviews ensure that Federal contractors are 

meeting the letter and the spirit of the equal

employment opportunity and affirmative action

requirements governing entities doing business

with the Federal government. The Commission

recommends corporate management reviews

include practices which often hinder the advancement of minorities and women into executive positions, such as: (1) how ratings of managerial potential are carried out, and their effects on minorities

and women; (2) the extent and type of training

provided to those conducting performance evaluations; (3) the race, ethnic origin, and gender composition of management committees involved in

assessing future managers; (4) the impact of workplace practices that result in unequal opportunities,

such as whether workers who need parental leave

are tracked into dead-end positions, or whether

contractors implement meaningful family-friendly

policies that actually facilitate working parents'

opportunities; and (5) how corporate mergers or

downsizing actions have affected minorities and

women both at the executive level and in the

pipeline.

Improve the complaint processing system

Justice delayed is justice denied. The

Commission recommends (1) continuing efforts

to improve the investigation and complaint resolution process through the voluntary use of alternative dispute resolution, wherever appropriate,

which often provides faster, less expensive, less

contentious and more productive results in eliminating workplace discrimination, and (2) continuing efforts to reduce the accumulated backlog

of cases now pending before the Equal

Employment Opportunity Commission.

Ensure anti-discrimination agencies

have adequate resources

Effective and vigorous enforcement of anti-discrimination and equal employment opportunity

laws is critical to the advancement of minorities

and women in the workplace. To make equal

employment opportunity and affirmative action a

reality, however, government anti-discrimination

enforcement agencies must have the funding and

the tools necessary for the job. As the

Commission's earlier report, Good For Business,

makes clear, efforts by the business community

to expand equal employment opportunity work

best when complemented by swift and vigorous

enforcement. The Commission recommends that

Congress provide anti-discrimination agencies

with the funding and staffing necessary to enable

them to accomplish their mandated missions. 38
39

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Number of

Charges Received

Number of

Investigations Closed

Full Time Equivalents*

Operating Budget

Budget adjusted

for Inflation**

*Data on Full-Time Equivalents for fiscal years 1971 and 1973.

**All Figures are in 1993 dollars, deflated using the CPI-UXI.

Source: EEOC Annual Reports 1970-1993

FY1971

28,609

7,321

$16,185,000

$56,600,000

FY1973

72,274

16,256

$32,000,000

$97,900,000

FY1980

79,868

84,812

3,777

$124,313,000

$218,100,000

FY1983

120,361

32,796

3,084

$146,286,000

$212,300,000

FY1990

59,426

67,415

2,853

$184,926,000

$204,564,000

FY1991

116,765

112,115

2,796

$201,930,000

$214,236,000

FY1992

124,479

118,157

2,791

$211,271,000

$217,580,000

FY1993

149,231

118,042

2,831

$222,000,000

$222,000,000
Recommendation

Accurate data on women and minorities can

show where progress is or is not being made in

breaking glass ceiling barriers. The Commission

recommends that relevant government agencies

revise the collection of data by refining existing

data categories and improving the specificity of

data collected. All government agencies that

collect data must break it out by race and gender,

and avoid double counting of minority women, in

order to develop a clear picture of where minorities and women are in the workforce.

Specifically:

Standard Occupational 

Classification Manual

The Standard Occupational Classification Manual

provides a mechanism for cross-referencing and

aggregating occupation-related data collected by

social and economic statistical reporting programs. Its intent is to maximize the usefulness of

statistics on the labor force, employment, income,

and other occupational data. Revisions must continue to the Standard Occupational Classification

Manual to ensure that it is sufficiently detailed to

differentiate between managers who have dissimilar tasks and responsibilities.

Expansion of Job 

Classification Categories

The Employer Information EEO-1 form is a

required submission for all employers with (a)

100 or more employees or (b) 50 or more

employees for firms holding Federal contracts

worth $50,000 or more. The categories currently

do not separate senior managers with corporate

decisionmaking authority from managers who

may be responsible for small business units or

only a few employees. Expanding job classification categories would better enable Federal

enforcement agencies and employers to evaluate

the racial, ethnic and gender composition of

occupations, especially at the managerial level.

The Commission recommends that the relevant

government agencies take whatever steps are

necessary, including regulatory changes, to

accomplish this.

40

IMPROVE DATA COLLECTION 
41

Current Population Survey

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is the most

important source of information on the labor

force, employment and unemployment in the US.

In existence for 53 years, the CPS yields perhaps

the most eagerly awaited economic statistic -- the

monthly unemployment rate -- and a host of

other key data related to trends in employment.

Exploration of ways to improve the specificity of

occupational data from the CPS must continue.

Occupational Employment 

Statistics Survey

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)

survey is a periodic mail survey of nonfarm

establishments that collects occupational

employment data on workers by industry. The

OES program surveys approximately 725,000

establishments in 400 detailed industries.

Modification of the OES to include demographic

data should be considered.

Recommendation
Public disclosure of diversity data -- specifically,

data on the most senior positions -- is an effective

incentive to develop and maintain innovative,

effective programs to break glass ceiling barriers.

The Commission recommends that both the public

and private sectors work toward increased public

disclosure of diversity data.

Public disclosure of how well companies are

expanding opportunities for minorities and

women is an effective incentive for other companies to develop diversity programs. Public disclosure campaigns, such as the mandated disclosure

of bank community lending data, demonstrate the

power of this tool. Disclosure of diversity data

motivates organizations to begin a process of positive social change through their corporate employment policies; with this data, the public can make

informed choices about doing business with,

investing in or working for an organization. The

Commission recommends that all members of the

corporate community increase their voluntary disclosure of race, ethnic and gender composition of

their workforces, particularly at the senior management level.

The issue of disclosure prompted much discussion

among the Commission. Commissioners heard

and received volumes of testimony on this topic.

Some Commisisoners felt that mandated disclosure is a necessity. They argued that individuals,

shareholders and stockholders, as well as the general public, have a right to know the composition

of the corporate workforce for publicly-traded

corporations and Federal contractors. Other

Commissioners, however, felt that any presure to

disclose diversity data is too much. Issues of privacy and corporate trade secrets were the major

focus of opposition to disclosure.

The Commission recognizes that in the short-term

there must be a greater conversation on this topic

and that agreement must be reached among the

private and public sectors as to the most beneficial

way to proceed.

Accordingly, the Commission urges the Federal

government and its agencies to look for ways to

increase public access to diversity data. For example, the government should encourage companies

to voluntarily release general EEO-1 information,

such as workforce by occupation categories, as

well as statistics specific to the glass ceiling problem, such as data on race, ethnicity and gender of

the highest paid employees. The government

should also explore the possibility of mandating

public release of EEO-1 forms for Federal con- 42

INCREASE DISCLOSURE OF DIVERSITY DATA
tractors and publicly-traded corporations.

Another area for government review is the modification of the 10-K reporting form. This annual

report, already a public document, is filed by companies with the Securities and Exchange

Commission (SEC). It gives an overview of a

company's business during the previous fiscal

year, and usually includes the monetary and

equity compensation of corporate officers.

Including the race, ethnicity and gender of these

officials would help track progress in breaking

glass ceiling barriers.

43

Societal Initiatives
Glass ceilings in the business world are not an

isolated feature of corporate architecture; rather,

they are held in place by the attitudes of society

at large. The Commission recognizes that attitudinal changes cannot be dictated, mandated or

legislated. However, the Commission's fact finding report, Good for Business: Making Full

Use of the Nation's Human Capital, identified

two types of societal barriers that engender and

reinforce a glass ceiling for minorities and

women. These are:

● The Difference Barrier: Essentially,

prejudice, or prejudging that someone is 

different and therefore less able to do the 

job. The major differences that lead to 

discomfort are cultural, gender-based and

color-based differences.

● The Supply Barrier: The lack of 

qualified, capable minorities and women,

due to lack of education, for instance. 

The supply barrier doesn't just keep 

qualified applicants from walking 

through the door to the executive suite, it 

keeps them from even entering the 

building.

THE DIFFERENCE BARRIER:

STEREOTYPE, PREJUDICE 

AND BIAS

Stereotypes generally result from wide publicity

given the negative actions of a few members

within a particular group, or from fantasies created by the entertainment industry to fulfill a plot

line. The bottom line is, however, that stereotypes can be absorbed and become the beliefs

upon which we act. These misconceptions about

groups of people become embedded in our minds

and prompt us to think differently about each

other. Attitudinal change brings behavioral

change, and so accordingly, the Commission has

identified the following initiatives that can help

to overcome the Difference Barrier:

Recognize the Role of the Media

The media do not reflect America so much as

shape America. The media play a critical role in

developing and eliminating stereotypes and biases that affect the way minorities and women are

viewed in society at large and in the workplace.

The Commission recommends that (1) media

46 organizations examine closely their diversity

SOCIETAL INITIATIVES
demographics at all levels; (2) the media regularly review their coverage for accurate diversity

portrayal and possible distortions; and (3) and an

award be established and presented annually to

the media organization that consistently puts

forth an accurate and positive reflection of

women and minority groups in their programming or coverage.

Efforts to diversify television and newspaper

newsrooms with minorities and women has

yielded limited progress, according to several

recent surveys by the American Society of

Newspaper Editors, the Radio and Television

News Directors Foundation and Vernon Stone at

the Missouri School of Journalism. Progress

toward promoting minorities and women into

decisionmaking positions was even less evident.

The Commission recommends the industry realize the urgency of getting women and minorities

into decisionmaking positions, especially in television, and notes that the lack of minority and

women ownership in media outlets has a longterm negative impact on news reporting. To

bring the public balanced news and entertainment, the media need to provide better workforce

diversity and sensitize all employees to cultural,

ethnic and gender strengths which can improve

the quality of the media's product and significantly reduce stereotyping. 

Further, broadcast ownership is a public trust.

The media must examine the types of news stories they cover, the language they use to describe

them, and the portrayal of characters on entertainment programming to discern evidence of

bias and stereotyping. Such self-examination

must result in a determined effort to establish a

reasonable balance in reporting and entertainment programming. Color, gender, and cultural

differences can be positively portrayed and the

power of stereotyping can be substantially

diminished in the greater society.

Though many organizations have created and

regularly present awards for media excellence,

few have focused on how minorities and women

are presented in the content of news and entertainment programming, especially in relation to

their employability at the highest levels of the

American workforce. An award presented annually to the media organization that consistently

presents an accurate and positive reflection of

women and minority groups in its programming

could be based on the following questions posed

by News Watch**:

"Is news coverage distorted by stereotypes, bias,

bad reporting and ignorance? How might these

flaws of journalism skew what readers, listeners

and viewers of news think about their fellow citizens? In what way does this have an impact on

the day-to-day activities and decisions that make 47

White Men

54%

White Women

Minority Men 28%

8%

Minority Women

10%

White Men

64%

White Women

Minority Men 25%

5%

Minority Women

6%

Radio News Work Force

Source: Vernon Stone, Missouri School of Journalism

TV News Work Force

Source: Vernon Stone, Missouri School of Journalism
Ida B. Wells Award

Distinguished journalist, fearless reporter and wife of one of America's earliest black publishers, Ida B.

Wells also was the editor and proprietor of the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight. She told her male

co-founders she would not help launch the newspaper unless she was "made equal to them." In the 19th

century, she won acclaim on two continents for her fearless crusade against lynchings. She championed

an integrated society and urged black Americans to seek their rightful share of jobs in the new industrial

society.

The Wells Award is awarded by the National Association of Black Journalists and the National

Conference of Editorial Writers. Its purpose is to give tangible and highly visible recognition to the individual who has provided exemplary leadership in opening doors of employment for minorities in

American journalism.

According to Professor Samuel L. Adams, the award curator at the William Allen White School of

Journalism at the University of Kansas, "those who have received the award strive to improve their

performance" which has a tremendously positive effect on their individual organizations, the industry

and the public at large. 

The Wells Award:

● focuses on career leadership relating to equal employment opportunity in journalism;

● contributes to cultural awareness in America; 

● raises standards of management sensitivity for print and broadcast journalism leaders;

● helps worthy minority journalism students through college with scholarship

● furthers the conviction of Ida. B. Wells, whose career illuminated both discrimination and 

employment opportunity in American journalism.

public life and impact public policy?"

The award could be presented by any number of

entities -- a Presidential commission, other

branches of government, a coalition of industry

organizations, or a public-private partnership, for

instance.

**"News Watch: A Critical Look at Coverage of

People of Color" is a national news media monitoring campaign and critique of US journalistic

practices. News Watch is a project of the Center

for Integration and Improvement of Journalism at

San Francisco State University in cooperation

with the nation's four largest professional organizations representing journalists of color: Asian

American Journalists Association, National

Association of Black Journalists, National

Association of Hispanic Journalists and Native

American Journalists Association. 

48
Educate for Cultural Awareness 

Business leaders identify perceptions based on

cultural differences as significant barriers impeding the advancement of minorities and women in

corporate structures. Overcoming glass ceiling

barriers necessitates that individuals change their

behavior and attitudes toward people who are

different in gender, race, color, and ethnicity.

Increasing understanding and respect for diverse

cultures through the educational process can help

eliminate stereotypical thinking and action and

facilitate merit-based practice and behavior within the corporate structure. It is important to

remember that stereotypes are not created out of

thin air; they often develop, consciously and

unconsciously, during our earliest years. By educating students about the different values, cultures, history, styles of communicating, dress,

food, family customs, and other group norms,

schools can better prepare future executives to

function comfortably and collaboratively with

peers and subordinates from diverse ethnic and

racial groups. Therefore, the Commission recommends that cultural awareness education

become part of every school's curriculum so that

children can experience, understand and value

the strengths that diversity can create.

THE SUPPLY BARRIER:

OPPORTUNITY AND ACHIEVEMENT

According to Good for Business:

Before one can even look up at the glass

ceiling, one must get through the front

door and into the building. The fact is

large numbers of minorities and women

of all races and ethnicities are nowhere

near the front door to Corporate

America....Some groups within the

African American, American Indian,

Asian and Pacific Islander American and

Hispanic American communities are disproportionately represented among the

working poor. Segments of all these

groups are overrepresented in low-wage

occupations, in part-time and seasonal

jobs, in the informal and secondary

economies, and they suffer high unemployment. Mobility is almost nonexistent, and if there is a lack of financial

resources, the prospects of educational

attainment are further hindered.

The Supply Barrier is the social force which prevents minorities and women from receiving the

recognition or training they need to achieve the

next level of professional development.

Education and exposure to other kinds of life

experiences are the keys to shattering the supply

barrier. The Commission identified several edu- 49

"We must recognize the whole

gamut of human potentialities,

and so weave a less arbitrary

social fabric, one in which each

diverse human gift will find a fitting place." 

-Margaret Mead, anthropologist
cation-centered initiatives which will help break

this very real, very visible impediment.

Counsel for Careers in Business

Minorities and women continue to be channeled

into traditional academic and occupational

tracks, often without exposure to the courses and

skills which businesses consider vital to potential

executive candidates. The Commission recommends that schools acquaint students

-- starting in elementary school and continuing

through high school -- with a wide array of

diverse career opportunities and identify the specific skills, course work and post secondary education they will need to qualify for careers in

business. Simple activities can achieve grand

results -- for instance, businesses can work with

school guidance counselors to provide information about how to prepare for successful professional careers, or executives can visit schools and

provide career counseling seminars describing

their own experiences in the business world.

These types of school/business partnerships help

bridge the gap between the world of work and

the world of education by making academic

learning more relevant to practical business

needs and making the future success of students

in the corporate world more likely. Employment

opportunities often are limited by the educational

choices that minorities and women make early in

their academic training, and counseling that

highlights the need for making the right choices

is an important first step.

50
Recognize All Potential

Individuals identified as high scholastic achievers receive steady support and encouragement to

pursue educational and professional paths leading to the executive suite. The education system

and society must also look beyond test scores

and grades and seek out individuals who may

exhibit non-traditional, but valuable, skills, interests and abilities. By expanding traditional concepts of core competencies and academic success, we can ensure that achievers whose talents

are less obvious will develop intellectually, academically, and professionally, thus allowing business to benefit from their diverse skills and talent. The Commission recommends that scholarships, educational enrichment opportunities, and

corporate internships be made available to those

whose promise may not be reflected in grades or

test scores, but who display leadership, teamwork, and strong analytical, communication and

interpersonal skills. 

51

Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak, Apple Computers Co-Founders

Steven Jobs' high-school electronics teacher recalled that the Apple Computer Corporation co-founder

was something of a loner and always had a different way of looking at things. After classes, Jobs attended lectures at the Hewlett-Packard electronics firm in Palo Alto where he was eventually hired as a summer employee. There he met Stephen Wozniak, a recent dropout from the University of California at

Berkeley. Upon graduation from highschool, Jobs attended one semester of Reed College, then dropped

out and hung around campus for a year taking classes in philosophy and immersing himself in counterculture.

After several months working, he saved enough money to travel to India in search of spiritual enlightenment. A short time later, Jobs and Wozniak designed the Apple I computer in Jobs' bedroom and built the

prototype in the Jobs garage. They started their new company with $1,300 raised from selling personal

possessions. Jobs came up with the name of the new company in memory of a happy summer he had

spent as an apple orchard worker in Oregon. 
Acquire Second Language Proficiency

Language is a key competitive tool, and the international scope of today's business world makes

communicating across national and cultural

boundaries essential to corporate competitiveness. Multilingualism is necessary if we are to

sell more goods and services here and abroad.

English is one of the primary languages of international commerce, and any executive dealing

with customers, contractors and suppliers in

other countries must excel in reading, writing,

speaking and understanding English.

Nevertheless, many executives have found success by speaking the language of their customers

-- which means developing their capacity to

communicate in two or more languages. The

Commission recommends that students develop a

proficiency in a second language before graduating from high school.

"The language of international

trade is not English. The 

language of international trade

is the language of the

customer...you can't begin to

understand what people demand

if you can't talk to them in their

own terms. Their terms means,

of course, their own language." 

-Leonard Lauder, President,

Estee Lauder 

52

Berlitz International, which runs foreign language

study programs, has seen its US business increase

19 percent over the five year period 1989 to 1994.

As illustrated in the chart above, the percentage of

Berlitz students in the US who cite "job-related

reasons" as their motivation for learning a new

language -- including both "required for

work/relocation" and "could help in present job or

getting a new job" has increased from 74 percent

to 83 percent over the period 1991 to 1994.

Nearly three-quarters of the Fortune 500 

companies are or have been clients of Berlitz. 

Reason for Studying Language: 1991 vs. 1994

Among students taking any language: reasons for studying

'91 '94

Job–related (net)..........................................................74 83 

required for work/bus. travel/ relocation.......................71 79

could help at work..................................................18 25

Pesonal reasons (net)..................................................49 46

leisure travel ..........................................................11 12

degree/education .................................................... 5 6

*students may cite multiple reasons

U.S.%
Take A Child To Work Day

Many young people, especially girls and members of minority groups, have difficulty defining

their career goals because of limited exposure to

the business world. Children who have limited

exposure to the adult world of work and little

sense of the range of professional possibilities

open to them have their road to career advancement blocked early in life. And, often, children

who need the most guidance are the ones without

the parental structure to provide it. Establishing

"Take A Child To Work Day" would allow

American business to provide leadership and

commitment to generations of youngsters searching for role models. Building on the success of

the Ms. Foundation's "Take Our Daughters To

Work (sm) Day," a national "Take A Child To

Work Day" will help open up professional vistas

for all children.

53

Take Our Daughters To Work (sm) -- Program Description 

Take Our Daughters To Work (sm), the public education program of the Ms. Foundation for Women,

was launched in 1993 in response to disturbing research findings on the adolescent development of

girls. Studies by Harvard University researchers, the American Association of University Women

(AAUW) and the Minnesota Women's Fund indicate that during adolescence girls often receive less

attention in school and in youth-serving programs, suffer from lower expectations than do their boy

counterparts, and tend to like or dislike themselves based on aspects of their physical appearance.

Those are the problems. Fortunately, the Ms. Foundation for Women has the solution -- to prevent

these problems from happening by helping girls to strengthen their resiliency. Research has shown

that by intervening with girls before these problems take root, we can help girls to grow up with confidence, in good health, and ready to fulfill their dreams. 

Copyright 1994 Ms. Foundation for Women

55

The Glass Ceiling Commission was tasked with

understanding barriers that prevent qualified

minorities and women from reaching senior

management and decisionmaking positions and

with identifying opportunities for advancement.

Among other things, the March 1995 release of

Good For Business raised public awareness of

the negative effects of exclusion on American

business and the nation's economy. This recommendations report offers tangible guidelines and

solutions on how these barriers can be overcome

and eliminated. 

However, the work cannot stop here. This report

represents completion of the Commission's legislative mandate, but the effort for us individually

or for all of us as a nation must continue. In fact,

this is just the beginning of work that still needs

to be done to ensure that the glass ceiling in

America is forever shattered, thereby achieving

the full promise of our society by making its

bounty available to all.

Champions for Change

The mark of any sound strategic plan is its

implementation. To ensure that the goals of the

Glass Ceiling Commission stay alive, the

Commissioners call on a confluence of constituencies --business, minority, civil rights,

women -- to take responsibility for:

● implementing the recommendations;

● influencing others to implement the

recommendations; and,

● monitoring the progress and measuring 

the impact of the recommendations. 

Industry Comparison Research 

Key to the Commission's effort to make recommendations for effective change is an analysis of

current corporate strategies for success. To complete this review, the Commission believes that

additional study is needed in the area of comparative research of business and industries in which

women and minorities are and are not promoted

to management and decisionmaking positions.

Longitudinal Analysis

The work of the Commission must be complemented with a five-to-ten year longitudinal study

to determine definitively the sequence of activities that would be most effective in dismantling

glass ceilings and promoting minorities and

women.

Such a study could focus on both the elements of

NEXT STEPS
selected organizations' infrastructure that may

affect the glass ceiling and the career progress of

a number of high-potential individuals within the

management ranks of the selected organizations,

including white and minority women and men.

The results of this major research would add significant dimension to the work already commissioned and reviewed for this and the fact finding

report. 

Econometric Models To Assess the Cost of

Discrimination 

Discrimination is costly. Additional research to

quantify the cost of maintaining glass ceiling

barriers to individuals, corporations and society

at large should be conducted and econometric

models developed. 

Public Education Campaign

A recent Washington Post/Kaiser Family

Foundation/Harvard University survey on how

information and misinformation shapes the way

people think found what the Post called, "a distorted image of minorities" and "a 'glass ceiling'

of misperception." 

This lack of understanding and stereotyping

leads the Commissioners to call for a national

public education campaign designed to dismantle

misperceptions, stereotypes and biases and to

create better understanding and appreciation of

our diversity as a people. 

Role of Technology in Breaking Barriers

Communication and information sharing are key

components of breaking glass ceiling barriers in

business. E-mail, the World Wide Web, live chats

on the Web, video conferencing and document

sharing are only a few examples of the many technologies which allow access to time-efficient and

inexpensive methods of exchanging information. 

State and Local Glass Ceiling Commissions

Like the Federal government, the local government must also lead by example. The

Commission believes that state and local governments should examine what they are doing

regarding removing or breaking the glass ceiling

and what they do differently that makes some

governments more successful than others. 

Asian & Pacific Islander Center for Census 56
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61
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