While most American workers do not want to join the ranks of upper-level management themselves, a significant number believe there is a glass ceiling at their workplace that prevents women and minority-group members from achieving leadership positions, suggest the findings of a survey by CareerBuilder, a recruitment website.

The nationwide survey, conducted in 2014 from May 13 to June 6, sampled 3,625 full-time workers in government and the private sector across salary levels, industries, and company sizes. The results showed that only around one-third (34%) of workers aspire to leadership positions, and just 7% are hoping to move up to senior- or C-level management.

Broken down by demographic group, the findings indicated that men (40%) were far more likely than women (29%) to say they want a leadership role. Additionally, African Americans (39%) and LGBT (44%) workers were shown to be more likely to aspire to a leadership role than the national average. Meanwhile, 32% of workers with disabilities and 35% of Latinos said they aspire to
a leadership role, which is close to the national average.

When those respondents who said they would prefer not to climb the corporate ladder were asked why they do not seek a promotion, 52% said they are simply satisfied in their current role, and 34% said they don’t want to sacrifice work-life balance. Just 17% said they believe they do not have the necessary education to become a senior manager.

Only around one-third (34%) of workers aspire to leadership positions, and just 7% are hoping to move up to senior- or C-level management

The survey also asked workers whether they believe their organization has a glass ceiling that prevents women and minorities from reaching higher-level jobs. Among all the workers polled, 20% said they think their employer has such an unseen barrier.

However, among the workers surveyed who said they aspire to management and senior management positions, the percentage who believe their organization has a glass ceiling increased to
24%, and was even higher among women (33%), Latinos (34%), African Americans (50%), and workers with disabilities (59%). By contrast, the perception of a glass ceiling was not as prevalent among LGBT workers aspiring to leadership roles: 21% of these respondents said they think there is a barrier to leadership at their company, or slightly less than the national
average. Moreover, the survey found that only 9% of non-diverse male respondents think there is a glass ceiling for women and minorities at their organization.

The findings also indicated that some companies are choosing to tackle the issue of diversity in leadership positions head on: just over one-quarter of respondents reported that their organization has initiatives to support women (27%) or minorities (26%) in pursuing leadership roles. The survey found that only 13% of respondents at these companies think there is a glass ceiling in their workplace.

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