Glass Ceiling Opinion

I am working on the research for my paper on the topic of the glass ceiling.  I did find the reading for class this week very interesting since it was on this subject.  My initial feelings on the subject are that I feel this issue is not a major issue any more.  Now, I speak from my own limited experience.  I've had 4 "big girl" jobs as I like to call them.  The first job I was a secretary for a department whose department head was a woman.  My second job was as a buyer with a female VP of the company.  My third job was almost totally male, but there was a female manager in our agency.  My current job has a female GM.  The smaller companies that I've worked for have been much more female friendly.  I didn't really get to see much out of my department in the larger companies that I worked for based on the job I held at the time.  I also feel that as a mom and wife, I am not looking to move into too much more stress in my jobs.  Maybe I will be looking for that in the future after my daughter is grown, but not for now.  I have all the stress I can handle.  I think perhaps the smaller companies are more willing to take on females in higher positions than larger companies.  All the normal reasons are used in my logic on that particular point.  I'm more looking at the issue of whether women are holding themselves back.  I have no problem admitting that I would rather not give up any more time with my family.  I don't feel that it makes me less of a woman or less of a leader to say that.  I feel it makes me a better manager since I need to get the tasks done and get home.  No dragging things out forever to make a decision.  Another issue that I have no problem with is riding the coattails of someone else to get the position that I want.  For instance one of my "kid jobs" was for a huge corporation.  I started at the very very bottom.  After 6 years I'd moved up in the part time positions to where I'd go full time to keep working there.  They were not female friendly, however, if I had a male friend in management that was on the rise and liked me, he would have pushed to take me with him.  I'd always have to stay behind him on the corporate ladder, but I'm ok with that.  I know others will disagree with me on this, but I think it opens up an interesting debate.