Glass Ceiling

If the development of a particular qualified person is restricted at a lower level due to the any form of discrimination, that state is called glass ceiling. The growth is usually restricted on the basis of racism and sexism.  In addition to that the term "glass ceiling" is also used to describe the limitation in the advancement of the individuals who are deaf, blind and disabled. It is also applied to gay and lesbians in later stage.

Discrimination Plays

In general, it is a situation which is a limitation that blocks the upward progression of an individual. Even though there is no visible discrimination like advertisement saying “no minorities hired at this establishment” and even there are no formal orders which says “minorities are not qualified”, the discrimination lies with the surface. This is referred to as an invisible barrier which exists within or even though there were no explicit obstacles. Though if a company has decided to discriminate someone, it doesn’t do it explicitly, instead looks out for most believable explanation which can help in justifying the decisions of the company. This is usually done by citing the qualities which are highly subjective and emphasize the specific criteria which would give that particular candidate the edge.

Women's Affected by Glass Ceiling

Working women’s are mostly affected by glass ceiling. This barrier restricts a huge number of women and other ethnic minorities from securing or obtaining the most celebrated and highest-grossing jobs. Sometimes this barrier also attacks the working women psychology making them to feel, as if they are not worthy of getting this high-ranking positions. Sometimes they feel, as if they are not taken by their bosses too seriously or not considered as a potential candidate.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws the sexual discrimination permitting women to flourish in the working world after achieving the proper experience.  The term glass ceiling was referred in an article by Timothy Schellhardt and Carol Hymowitz which was published in the year 1984. This article concentrates on the barriers that are invisible and restricts the growth of the career advancement. But even before this article, the term was used in the Adweek article. Which was written by Gay Bryant and again Katherine Lawrence and Marianne Schreiber used this term, to describe the state in which there may be a clear path of promotion on the surface, but inside there would a barrier to progress beyond. The U.S department of Labor used this term in the year 1991 when it studied the nine Fortune 500 companies.

Questions:

• What does glass ceiling mean?
• How glass ceiling affects working women?