One of the long-term goals of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is gender equality. According to the designers of MDGs, the plan is a way for getting higher income, helping reduction of children mortality rate, improvement of health condition, increase of productivity, and contributing to development.

Many experts, however, maintain that these goals in the developing countries, and even some of the western developed countries, face serious gaps despite their claims to gender equality.

The results of a study in the world 2013 showed that women assume only 24% of the top managerial posts and in some of the G8 member states, as the richest countries in the world, women comprise a mere 16% of the executive boards. Interestingly, countries like Sweden and Norway, too, rank 27 and 22 respectively in spite of passage of several years from the ratification of gender equality law.

Let us listen to the remarks of the expert of the program, Ms. Akhundan,

"One of the important criteria for gender development and empowerment of women is their share in decision-making and their participation in managerial posts. The fact of the matter is that, in spite of the plans and efforts, women's share in the managerial posts is not considerable in the western countries, and it seems they face many problems in the course of job promotion in the managerial levels.

One of the social theorists has concluded that in the public belief maleness is still a personal characteristic which guarantees effective management. The negative view of senior managers to accept women in key managerial posts plays a significant role in rejection of women in this domain. The lack of proper job opportunity for female managers in the society is one of the issues that have put women in noose. Hence, one of the key issues for societies is the belief in empowerment of women and their entrance in managerial arena."

According to a report of International Labour Organization (ILO), if a person works in Jamaica, the probability that he/she has a female superintendent or manager is 60%. Thus, Jamaica has the highest percentage of women's participation in managerial posts. Colombia with 53% ranks second and Saint Lucia- an Eastern Caribbean island nation- ranks third with 52% participation. This index is 43% for the US. The ILO report indicates that Japan with 10% participation of women in managerial posts and 1% participation in companies is the lowest in the world despite being a developed nation. In Japan, more than 60% of women leave their job after giving birth to their first child.

In Britain, major leader of parties and premier are women but the ratio of women to men is the lowest in executive posts. Some of the women in the west have attained the leadership of the greatest countries but, according to the statistics, the ratio of women in the global economy is very lower than men. No woman has been able to be the director of one of the 10 huge economic corporations in the world and men, with a maximum of over 90% keep dominating over directing boards of 500 major economic corporations.

Some of the pundits believe that glass ceiling is the most important cause of gender inequality and the main hindrance against women's job promotion in the US. The invisible barriers and glass ceiling referred to by researchers are indeed a set of false beliefs and ideas prevailing on women. These gender clichés are acting unconsciously in the society and organizations; and are hindering the advancement of women in various arenas. He reasons for creation of the glass ceiling can be examined in two different aspects: The first assumption is that women voluntarily accept and welcome these barriers. In view of this, women's long hours of housework and sensitive responsibility toward children can be considered as effective causes for their reluctance in assuming sensitive posts. Thus, women may prefer to remain as an ordinary specialist or a senior one at the end of their career.

The second assumption is that the inclination and ability of women, to assume organizational posts, is as high as men or even higher than them; but the organizations deny them the opportunity. The factor behind creation of this invisible barrier is more related to the gender and pertaining cultural view and has nothing to do with the inability of women.

There are varying opinions on the origins of gender inequality. Meanwhile, most of the researchers opine that there are few women who are reluctant to assume responsibility. Women and men are colleagues at workplaces. However, men have decided to be at the top. Female politicians like former British Premier Margaret Thatcher and Former US State Secretary Hillary Clinton claimed that women are capable of doing everything but the reality in the western countries is quite different.

As per the figures in Germany, the share of women in the high levels of profession is just 6-7 percent. Furthermore, only 5-7 percent of professors are women in the German universities. From among 600 huge German corporations, a small number of them are run by a woman as the executive director or member of the board of directors. The Glassdoor Research Institute published a research which confirms this issue. The research studied gender equality in 18 European countries and the United States with 12 indexes. Germany ranks 15 as the worst among these nations. As for the participation of women in the German higher education, the condition is one of the worst in Europe. According to the results of this research, Italy, Greece and Ireland are the worst European nations in terms of gender inequality.

The information on Canada also reveals that less than 3% of women in the country are the directors of big companies. Out of every 5 managers in Canada, only one is a woman. In the US, too, the number of the women working in specialized and managerial professions is much lower than men. For instance, the number of women employed at higher education institutes and universities is 8%. Conservative Republican, Mary Thomas, is among the women who campaign for breaking the glass ceilings in the US. She stresses that even those women who assume managerial posts are paid less than their male counterparts. This, while the US and Europeans keep condemning Islamic nations for violation of women's rights.

RM/SS