Felix: "This is a really tough question. I don't think there is a glass ceiling at my organisation in my experience as I have never encountered or even heard rumours of an occasion where anyone has had their gender counted against them. However, there is a distinct imbalance in the gender split when looking at higher grades so I may not be at a level where the effects become apparent. 

I do feel though that there is a strong culture of equality and I do think that diversity is genuinely valued so I think that attributing the gender imbalance to a glass ceiling effect may not paint the full picture."

Salama: "If we take the glass ceiling as being an invisible barrier preventing women from progressing beyond a particular point within the organisation, I am of the view that one does not exist. This is because we are well aware of the factors that limit the career progression of women, and the cliff-drop in the number of women beyond middle management may actually serve to represent the failure of organisations and society to deal with these limiting factors. 

Instead I would say that there is more likely a 'funnel' structure when it comes to the upper echelons of women in the corporate world. Failure to deal with the multitude of challenges many women (and men) face such as the need for truly stigma-free flexible working result in there only being room a the top or anywhere near it for very few at a time." 

Lara: "Yes! I would love to become part of the firm’s leadership. I like having a busy lifestyle and being constantly on the move. It’s a big responsibility but I think it is a very rewarding experience. I’m not close to the details of their lifestyles, so I’m not entirely sure if it hinders the ability to spend quality time with their family and friends, but from hearing the firm’s leadership speak on various occasions, flexibility is key and having a work/life balance is manageable and doable."

Felix: "The senior lifestyle is not appealing to me personally. The pressure and especially work hours do not appeal to me. I think 

I would enjoy the responsibility and the type of work itself but these would not counteract the negative aspects enough to make it worthwhile. Having said that, I am still at a very early stage in my career, so my perception of what exactly those kind of roles entail may not be accurate. I suspect my opinion of this will change as time goes by."

Salama:"It is 2014 and yet the profiles and lifestyles of leaders of many organisations remains firmly middle-aged, middle-class white male. As the daughter of Bangladeshi Muslim migrants and raised in London, this lifestyle is alien to me, and I do not aspire to it. But this is not necessarily a negative observation as, although I do not aspire to emulate their lifestyle, I aspire to emulate their success which I hope to fit in with my own lifestyle. 

It is important to note that it is not just a gender issue when seeking to achieve a truly diverse workplace as elements of the lifestyle of our leaders may be alien to many people from different walks of life, from white middle class, middle aged women, to younger black working class men. A culture of inclusion is what is needed to improve diversity, not simply focusing on any one area of difference."

Sam: "Very important. I believe role models, especially at an early stage of your career, are incredibly important in showing you the type of leader you could (and would like to) become in the future. However I believe that we are not just limited to one or two role models but in fact identify traits from many different people that we ourselves aspire to have. Therefore the more diverse a range of role models to choose from the better and more diverse traits to look up to. Without female role models that's an immediate 50% cut in possible role models. In fact I probably have a 60:40 split of men and women that I could name as being role models, and that male skew is probably naturally due to being a guy myself."

Salama: "When selecting a role model, gender does not play a part for me. I instead find that my role models are individuals who hold the same values as I do, have overcome challenges I am likely to face, or individuals who inspire awe from having overcome their own personal challenges."
 

Felix: "It's critically important that there are female role models in all walks of life so that young women can actually see that all options are open to them and that there are no stereotypically male and female jobs. The only way to give that effect is to be able to experience women performing these roles, without that, certain jobs do become seen as favouring one gender or the other. If this happens, you end up missing out on half of the available talent pool as people will be dissuaded from taking on roles that are seen as not being appropriate to them. This effect could also account for the glass ceiling effect as the preponderance of males in leadership positions may make roles like that less desirable for women."

Lara: "I think it is important to have female role models as it reassures me that a) women can actually get to high positions and b) still manage being a mother, wife etc. In terms of aspirations though, as long as I have a good role model and someone to look up to and aspire to become like, it doesn’t matter if they’re male or female."