Glass ceiling

A chart illustrating the differences in earnings between men and women of the same educational level (USA 2006) [needs update]

A glass ceiling is a metaphor usually applied to people of marginalized genders, used to represent an invisible barrier that prevents an oppressed demographic from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy.[1] No matter how invisible the glass ceiling is expressed, it is actually an obstacle difficult to overcome.[2] The metaphor was first used by feminists in reference to barriers in the careers of high-achieving women.[3][4] It was coined by Marilyn Loden during a speech in 1978.[5][6][7][8]

In the United States, the concept is sometimes extended to refer to racial inequality.[3][9] Minority women in white-majority countries often find the most difficulty in "breaking the glass ceiling" because they lie at the intersection of two historically marginalized groups: women and people of color.[10] East Asian and East Asian American news outlets have coined the term "bamboo ceiling" to refer to the obstacles that all East Asian Americans face in advancing their careers.[11][12] Similarly, a multitude of barriers that refugees and asylum seekers face in their search for meaningful employment is referred to as the "canvas ceiling".[13]

Within the same concepts of the other terms surrounding the workplace, there are similar terms for restrictions and barriers concerning women and their roles within organizations and how they coincide with their maternal responsibilities. These "Invisible Barriers" function as metaphors to describe the extra circumstances that women go through, usually when they try to advance within areas of their careers and often while they try to advance within their lives outside their work spaces.[14]

"A glass ceiling" represents a blockade that prohibits women from advancing toward the top of a hierarchical corporation. These women are prevented from getting promoted, especially to the executive rankings within their corporation. In the last twenty years, the women who have become more involved and pertinent in industries and organizations have rarely been in the executive ranks.

  1. ^ Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. Solid Investments: Making Full Use of the Nation's Human Capital. Archived 2014-11-08 at the Wayback Machine Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, November 1995, p. 13-15.
  2. ^ IPCIOGLU, EGILMEZ & SEN, Isa, Ozum, Hilal. "GLASS CEILING SYNDROME: A RESEARCH IN THE CONTEXT OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGERS (CAM TAVAN SENDROMU: İNSAN KAYNAKLARI YÖNETİCİLERİ BAĞLAMINDA BİR ARAŞTIRMA)".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. Good for Business: Making Full Use of the Nation's Human Capital. Archived 2014-08-10 at the Wayback Machine Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, March 1995.
  4. ^ Wiley, John (2012). The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies. Vol. 5. John Wiley and Sons.
  5. ^ Laermer, Richard; Prichinello, Michael (2003). Full frontal PR. Bloomberg Press. ISBN 9781576600993.
  6. ^ Marilyn Loden On Feminine Leadership. Pelican Bay Post. May 2011.
  7. ^ "100 Women: 'Why I invented the glass ceiling phrase'". BBC News. 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  8. ^ "100 Women: 'Why I invented the glass ceiling phrase'". BBC News. 13 December 2017.
  9. ^ "Hillary Clinton: 'As a white person,' I have to discuss racism 'every chance I get'". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  10. ^ "Demarginalising the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Anti-discrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Anti-racist Politics" by Kimberlé Crenshaw in Framing Intersectionality, edited by Helma Lutz et al. (Ashgate, 2011).
  11. ^ Hyun, Jane (2005). Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians. New York: HarperBusiness.
  12. ^ "Top 10 Numbers that Show Why Pay Equity Matters to Asian American Women and Their Families". name. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  13. ^ Lee, Eun Su; Szkudlarek, Betina; Nguyen, Duc Cuong; Nardon, Luciara (April 2020). "Unveiling the Canvas Ceiling : A Multidisciplinary Literature Review of Refugee Employment and Workforce Integration". International Journal of Management Reviews. 22 (2): 193–216. doi:10.1111/ijmr.12222. ISSN 1460-8545. S2CID 216204168.
  14. ^ Smith, Paul; Caputi, Peter (2012). "A Maze of Metaphors". Faculty of Health and Behavioral Sciences. 27: 436–448. doi:10.1108/17542411211273432 – via University of Wollongong Research Online.