The Congress has considered more sweeping legislation with respect to maternity benefits. Through early 1991, however, such expanded legislation had not been enacted. Several states, however, had enacted more sweeping and more explicit legislation. These state laws typically prescribed the female employee's rights with respect to (1) maternity leave, (2) compensation during such leave, and (3) reemployment subsequent to the completion of such leave. California's pregnancy leave statute has been challenged and tested in court. The law was challenged on the grounds that it discriminated against males, in that it dealt only with the rights of female employees who become pregnant. The challenge was eventually decided by the United States Supreme Court, which found that (1) the statute was constitutional, and (2) the employer was required to reemploy the female in the position she held prior to commencing pregnancy leave. The latter finding was based on a provision of the California statute, which required such action on the part of employer.
The under representation of women in management within an organization may be caused by a variety of factors. These factors may range from overt discriminatory policies on the part of the organization to ingrained attitudes within a company which lead to bias in selection and recruitment to societal phenomena which cause fewer women to receive the necessary education and training to prepare them for managerial responsibilities. Within a specific company, the problem which must be addressed is the determination of (1) which types of these various factors are influencing the representation of women in the managerial structure, and (2) the relative significance of these factors. Only when such determinations are made can effective corrective actions be developed and implemented.
This study examined the role of women in upper level management in a large American aerospace manufacturing corp...