Women are right. There SHOULD be more women in senior positions and in the boardroom. But they need to recognise the implications of a simple reality: individuals are promoted to senior positions, not groups. So why are many women seeking to progress collectively through gender equality initiatives rather than through their individual merits? Talented women who reach the boardroom typically find such initiatives patronising. Some widely-held assertions about the genders in the workplace: - women's progression into the upper levels of organisations has long been hampered by overt and covert discrimination against women exercised by the men (and sometimes the women) already holding senior positions - the 'glass ceiling' - men aren't more likely than women to have qualities which make them fit for senior positions. Women, conversely, are more likely than men to have such qualities, including higher emotional intelligence, consensual decision-making styles... - more women would seek advancement if they felt inspired by more role models (but who will be the role models' role models?) A former business executive with over 30 years' experience in major corporations and business consultancy critiques 30 assertions about men and women generally and in the workplace - including 'the glass ceiling' - and finds them all to be variously delusions, fantasies, lies or myths. He reveals the real reasons why more women don't reach senior positions. More gender equality will result when more hardworking talented women recognise that to progress they will have to do so individually, not collectively. How hard can that be? Harder than beating the drum for gender equality initiatives, certainly, but possibly more effective too? Corporations pursuing gender equality initiatives are engaging in a social engineering experiment which could prove ruinous both for them and for society at large. Militant feminists - a small but vocal band of angry women embracing a Marxist ideology, as the book explains - are behind campaigns for gender balance among senior executives. Why are corporations trying to placate a small band of angry Marxists? The book reviews the state of gender equality legislation in the United Kingdom where David Cameron, a Conservative prime minister and head of a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, has enacted 90% of The Equality Bill (2010). The Bill was the crowning glory of the career of Harriet Harman, a militant feminist Labour politician.
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'The Glass Ceiling Delusion' attacks head-on the militant feminist myth that men and women have the same interests and capabilities. Reviewing a wide range of evidence, he shows that the under-representation of women in senior positions in business has nothing to do with discrimination and ‘glass ceilings’, and that attempts to impose quotas are therefore fundamentally flawed. A polemical book with an important message.
Peter Saunders, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Sussex University
The Glass Ceiling Delusion is an important and brave book, the best book on social economics and society in general published for decades. It’s irresistibly compelling, cogently argued and superbly put together. It should be in all school and college libraries. It should be compulsory reading for social science, economics and politics students. It should be force-fed to male and female politicians. This is definitely a five-star book. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.
Dr Vernon Coleman, bestselling English author
Testimonials for 'THE MARRIAGE DELUSION: the fraud of the rings?' 'A highly original and stimulating critique of the modern marriage crisis, supported by important yet sometimes uncomfortable truths.' Oliver James, clinical psychologist, broadcaster, author of 'Affluenza', 'Britain on the Couch', 'They F*** You Up', 'How Not to F*** Them Up' 'Mike Buchanan's analysis of marriage in western industrialised society is courageous and thoughtful. His perspectives on the challenges associated with marriage, and solutions to them, draw on important scientific evidence and arguments from some of our leading psychologists and wisest philosophers. This is a 'must-read' for all concerned with modern marriage.' Alan Carr, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University College, Dublin, author of 'The Handbook of Adult Clinical Psychology', 'Family Therapy' and 'Positive Psychology'
Peter Saunders, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Sussex University
The Glass Ceiling Delusion is an important and brave book, the best book on social economics and society in general published for decades. It’s irresistibly compelling, cogently argued and superbly put together. It should be in all school and college libraries. It should be compulsory reading for social science, economics and politics students. It should be force-fed to male and female politicians. This is definitely a five-star book. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.
Dr Vernon Coleman, bestselling English author
Testimonials for 'THE MARRIAGE DELUSION: the fraud of the rings?' 'A highly original and stimulating critique of the modern marriage crisis, supported by important yet sometimes uncomfortable truths.' Oliver James, clinical psychologist, broadcaster, author of 'Affluenza', 'Britain on the Couch', 'They F*** You Up', 'How Not to F*** Them Up' 'Mike Buchanan's analysis of marriage in western industrialised society is courageous and thoughtful. His perspectives on the challenges associated with marriage, and solutions to them, draw on important scientific evidence and arguments from some of our leading psychologists and wisest philosophers. This is a 'must-read' for all concerned with modern marriage.' Alan Carr, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University College, Dublin, author of 'The Handbook of Adult Clinical Psychology', 'Family Therapy' and 'Positive Psychology'
About the Author
Mike Buchanan, 53, is a British writer of eight books published since 2008. Before taking early retirement in 2010 at the age of 52 to focus on writing full-time, he had been an executive with major corporations for over 30 years. His books are, in reverse chronological order: THE GLASS CEILING DELUSION (the REAL reasons more women don't reach senior positions) DAVID AND GOLIATHA: David Cameron - heir to Harman? THE JOY OF SELF-PUBLISHING THE MARRIAGE DELUSION: the fraud of the rings? (hardback) THE FRAUD OF THE RINGS (paperback edition of THE MARRIAGE DELUSION) BUCHANAN'S DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS for right-minded people BUCHANAN'S DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS for right-minded Americans TWO MEN IN A CAR (a businessman, a chauffeur, and their holidays in France) GUITAR GODS IN BEDS. (Bedfordshire: a heavenly county) PROFITABLE BUYING STRATEGIES (How to cut procurement costs and buy your way to higher profits)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Gary
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this to get some opposing views to left wing political thinking for a report in human resource management I had to write as part of my BA Hons Business Management degree.
I must first start out by stating I have no thoughts on positive discrimination nor why women don't reach higher positions, I purely needed academic research into this subject. That is where this book falls down, Mike Buchanan clearly has a love for mrs Thatcher and that shines through the book, unfortunately he does not seem to like women in the workplace, to back up his views he has cherry picked newspaper clippings and random pages from feminist books rather than from any form of academic research.
The random chapter on fair trade products is just that, totally random and does not belong in this book and the six page quote from someone else's book in chapter 16 verges on plagiarism, a problem a certain tv psychiatrist who used to work on This Morning found out to his cost.
The author goes on about why he does not think women should be in the boardroom but with no academic evidence to back this up, apart from him being in boardrooms for who knows how many years, maybe the reason women did not do well in British boardrooms is because of views held by the author rather than anything women have done wrong, I will never know because the answers certainly are not in this book!
I must first start out by stating I have no thoughts on positive discrimination nor why women don't reach higher positions, I purely needed academic research into this subject. That is where this book falls down, Mike Buchanan clearly has a love for mrs Thatcher and that shines through the book, unfortunately he does not seem to like women in the workplace, to back up his views he has cherry picked newspaper clippings and random pages from feminist books rather than from any form of academic research.
The random chapter on fair trade products is just that, totally random and does not belong in this book and the six page quote from someone else's book in chapter 16 verges on plagiarism, a problem a certain tv psychiatrist who used to work on This Morning found out to his cost.
The author goes on about why he does not think women should be in the boardroom but with no academic evidence to back this up, apart from him being in boardrooms for who knows how many years, maybe the reason women did not do well in British boardrooms is because of views held by the author rather than anything women have done wrong, I will never know because the answers certainly are not in this book!
7 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By KateS
Format:Paperback
This book injects a welcome and overdue dose of realism into the `gender balance in the workplace' debate, and critiques a lot of `received wisdom' about men and women in the workplace.
Drawing on material from leading psychologists Buchanan discusses the different natures of `gender typical' men and women, and shows that this alone will lead to gender imbalance in the boardroom - women being more interested than men in human relatinoships, men more interested than women in understanding and improving systems. He points out something that maybe we're in denial about - that most women would sooner pursue happiness than power, which puts them starkly at odds with the small band of women who claim to represent their interests, militant feminists. The book offers stark warnings about miltant feminism. It shows that militant feminism has the same roots as Marxism, women being the `oppressed class' and therefore always in the right, men being the `oppressing class' and therefore always in the wrong - sound familiar? He asks why should companies pursue gender initiatives at the behest of a small band of angry women?
I was surprised to laugh out loud a number of times reading the book, notably when the writer isn't afraid to point out the sometimes hilarious aspects of some women's thinking and activities. I was also surprised to conclude the writer isn't misogynistic, just someone who's objective about gender differences, and maybe we're in need of a reality check? Haven't we all had enough of the `women are superior to men' rhetoric, surely a prime example of the sexism we claim to abhor?
Drawing on material from leading psychologists Buchanan discusses the different natures of `gender typical' men and women, and shows that this alone will lead to gender imbalance in the boardroom - women being more interested than men in human relatinoships, men more interested than women in understanding and improving systems. He points out something that maybe we're in denial about - that most women would sooner pursue happiness than power, which puts them starkly at odds with the small band of women who claim to represent their interests, militant feminists. The book offers stark warnings about miltant feminism. It shows that militant feminism has the same roots as Marxism, women being the `oppressed class' and therefore always in the right, men being the `oppressing class' and therefore always in the wrong - sound familiar? He asks why should companies pursue gender initiatives at the behest of a small band of angry women?
I was surprised to laugh out loud a number of times reading the book, notably when the writer isn't afraid to point out the sometimes hilarious aspects of some women's thinking and activities. I was also surprised to conclude the writer isn't misogynistic, just someone who's objective about gender differences, and maybe we're in need of a reality check? Haven't we all had enough of the `women are superior to men' rhetoric, surely a prime example of the sexism we claim to abhor?
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Sean O'Brien
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
'The Glass Ceiling Delusion' is an excellent commentary on the controversial issue of women's progress into senior positions in organisations in general, and in commercial organisations in particular. The book is chock-full of relevant facts and clear arguments on the subject.
The author lists and comments on "The top 20 reasons why female executives are uncommon in the most senior levels of major businesses." He immediately follows this by setting out what he believes to be the consequences of forcing women into senior positions regardless of their fitness for those positions.
The book is a "must read" for business people, academics, Human Resources professionals, all women who want to succeed in business, and indeed any other interested parties, as it outlines the case against 'improving' gender diversity in the senior reaches of large commercial organisations.
Those who may be concerned about the meaning of the book's subtitle, "The real reasons more women don't reach senior positions", can be assured that this reviewer could not find even a trace of misogyny in the words penned by the author.
Mike Buchanan's book lays bare the true nature of 'improving' Gender Diversity in the workplace, namely that it is nothing more than blatant, dangerously counter-productive social engineering.
The author lists and comments on "The top 20 reasons why female executives are uncommon in the most senior levels of major businesses." He immediately follows this by setting out what he believes to be the consequences of forcing women into senior positions regardless of their fitness for those positions.
The book is a "must read" for business people, academics, Human Resources professionals, all women who want to succeed in business, and indeed any other interested parties, as it outlines the case against 'improving' gender diversity in the senior reaches of large commercial organisations.
Those who may be concerned about the meaning of the book's subtitle, "The real reasons more women don't reach senior positions", can be assured that this reviewer could not find even a trace of misogyny in the words penned by the author.
Mike Buchanan's book lays bare the true nature of 'improving' Gender Diversity in the workplace, namely that it is nothing more than blatant, dangerously counter-productive social engineering.
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