Glass Walls: Reality & Hope Beyond the Glass Ceiling

Jean Rostollan and Rhonda Levene
Brown Books (2006)
ISBN 1933285435
Reviewed by Cyndy Zoch for Reader Views (8/06)

For many of us women, the Glass Ceiling – that barrier that keeps women out of the realm of upper management - doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Whether by choice or by mandate, companies have increasingly included women in the ranks of upper management. Indeed, both authors had broken through the ceiling and found themselves at or near the top of their organizations. However, they soon discovered that there was another barrier in front of them – one that they had never heard of and therefore never expected to find – the Glass Wall.

“Glass Walls” argues that even though women are in an upper management position, they are still not treated equally. Both overtly and covertly, they are excluded from important meetings and social outings, simply because they are women. Accepting this as a reality, the authors then focus on how to identify the players in an organization and how a woman can survive and thrive in such an environment.

A typical company brings together many types of people and personalities. Each of these types can play one of many roles, according to the authors. The top management, called the Patriarchy, “refers to the exclusive group of men or ‘Patriarchs’ who dominate the organization, along with the males chosen as their entourage.” Membership in the Patriarchy brings power and prestige to a person – even being associated with the group entitles you to certain perks. All other employees fall into one of the following categories – Diamonds, Seeds, Informers, Corks, and Women. According to the authors, a woman can be a Diamond, Seed or Informer – they can never be Corks or part of the Patriarchy.

The remainder of the book describes each of these types – their roles and motives - and helps women learn how to deal with them effectively. The authors include experiences from real women to illustrate and emphasize the different types. I was amazed to realize that my experiences with my former employer could very easily have been used as an example for this book.

As Vice President of a small company, I was subject to many of the same circumstances as the women in the book. Until I read “Glass Walls,” I had no idea that these same dynamics are found in most companies. As I was reading the descriptions of the various types of employees, I found it easy to identify the Corks, Informers and Seeds among my former co-workers. Unfortunately, there were very few Diamonds at this place. When they left the company, there was no reason for me to stay anymore. I wished that I had read this book at the time. While I don’t think the outcome would have been any different, it would have helped me understand why things were happening and why certain people responded and acted the way that they did.

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