File:Average_earnings_of_workers_by_education_and_sex_-_2006.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
glass ceiling
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metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that keeps a given group from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy
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- Glass ceiling
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Encyclopedic overview
A chart illustrating the differences in earnings between men and women of the same educational level (USA 2006) A glass ceiling is a metaphor usually set in relation to women, used to represent an invisible barrier that prevents a given demographic from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy. The metaphor was first used by feminists in reference to barriers in the careers of high-achieving women. It was coined by Marilyn Loden during a speech in 1978.
In the United States, the concept is sometimes extended to refer to racial inequality. Racialised 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. 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. Similarly, a multitude of barriers that refugees and asylum seekers face in their search for meaningful employment is referred to as the "canvas ceiling".
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “glass ceiling” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.