Working women were once kept beneath the glass ceiling because they were considered "too nice." Now they're being held back because they aren't nice enough.

In an effort to erase gender discrimination, many companies have been abandoning their emphasis on stereotypical male qualities like assertiveness, and seeking workers with interpersonal sensitivity and people skills. Or "qualities usually associated with women," says Peter Glick, a professor of psychology at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Ironically, what he calls the "feminization" of companies may work against women lacking the outgoing attributes that employers now expect from them—attributes that employers don't expect from men.

Proof of this double standard comes from Glick's study in which subjects were asked to rate job applicants vying for a managerial position. Women perceived as being more competitive were deemed competent for the job but also less sociable than other candidates, and thus less hirable. Competent men, however, were described as hirable even if they weren't socially adept.

Still, the big picture for women is getting brighter: Lawrence Pfaff, a human resource consultant in Michigan, reports that women are considered better managers than men, thanks to their collaborative skills on the job.