Introduction
Hello everyone, welcome to this civic issues blog on female rights. Across the world, women have often been subjected to prejudices, discrimination, and stereotypes emanating from deeply rooted cultural and societal ideals. These have deeply pushed back female creativity and advancements. Fortunately, the world is working to become a better place every single day, and we have seen wonderful improvements and growth in the livelihood of women in general. This blog hopes to unravel and explore the complicated layers of women’s struggles, triumphs, and stories that have carried the world forward.
What is the Glass Ceiling?
People often say the sky is the limit. Do you have a business proposal? – the sky’s the limit. A side hustle you want to grow – the sky’s the limit. However, for years, women have been told the sky is not the limit. Let me first describe what a glass ceiling is. The glass ceiling is “a metaphorical invisible barrier that prevents certain individuals from being promoted to managerial- and executive-level positions within an organization” (Investopedia). Oftentimes, glass ceilings are mentioned in reference to women and other racial minorities in the workplace, who are often disregarded and passed over when promotions or increments come around.
A graphic depicting a woman trying to get through the glass ceiling – Source
The glass ceiling is not just as simple as being passed over for a promotion, but there is an underlying tone of inferiority in regards to women; where women are seen as less competent than their male counterparts.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling
Breaking the glass ceiling refers to removing the barriers that were originally in place preventing a woman from moving up the ranks in a company. A major example of breaking the glass ceiling is Kamala Harris. In 2020, she was elected to be vice president of the United States, as not only the first woman but also the first Asian and Black woman. Her election was considered to be the breaking of the second-highest glass ceiling in the US.
Kamala Harris as the first female vice president – Source
Companies have started to put in a lot of effort to ensure gender equity in the workforce. Equity should start at the very beginning of someone’s professional life; getting hired. Blind screenings of interviews are effective ways of doing so. Blind screenings anonymize all applicants for a job. To continue, bias and stereotype training are proactive methods of teaching everyone how to limit unwanted prejudices they might possess. There are often inherent biases and stereotypes people possess, and it is important to unlearn and recognize these unconscious thoughts. Finally, a third method of ensuring equity in the workplace is setting goals involving diversity. These goals can include decreasing the number of microaggressions, harassment, or prejudice reportings that occur in that specific workplace.
Works Cited
Reiners, Bailey. (2023, November). “What is the Glass Ceiling.” Built In. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_electronic_sources.html. Accessed 18 January 2024.
Kagan, Julia. (2022, October). “The Glass Ceiling: Definition, History, Effects, and Examples.” Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/glass-ceiling.asp. Accessed 18 January 2024.
I really like the term glass ceiling. It’s such a clever play on words that exactly describes the experience it represents. I also think the term goes deeper than it’s surface meaning of blocking off an area that someone want’s to access. Because this barrier is “glass” oftentimes people that aren’t limited by it aren’t able to see it unless they actually look for it and know it exists. I think the notion of “the glass ceiling” is a really good way to put this struggle because in a way it’s telling people that don’t face “the glass ceiling” that just because they can’t see something or they aren’t experiencing it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.