ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the gender mix in public workforces at the federal, state, and local levels of government. It then examines strategies that government employers have advanced or could develop to effectively manage the workplace so that it is a more congenial setting for women and accommodating of their needs and interests. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 called for the establishment of a Glass Ceiling Commission to study artificial barriers to the advancement of women and persons of color in the workplace and to make recommendations for overcoming such barriers. One approach to moving women and persons of color into upper-level positions is through management/professional development programs. The programs could operate in any number of ways, including apprenticeship training programs that offer formal course work to complement on-the-job training under an incumbent manager. The Federal Flexible Workplace Program was established in the early 1990s as a pilot program to gain experience with flexiplace arrangements.
