Examples of Glass Ceiling Discrimination
The term “glass ceiling” can apply to both women and minorities, and is used to describe a barrier that prevents workers from rising to upper level or management positions within a company. One difficulty many victims face is that the glass ceiling can be difficult to prove – it is called an “invisible barrier” for a reason.
Sometimes company leaders will proudly advertise statistics of their business, claiming that a large percentage of their organization is made up of females and/or minorities, but these statistics can be misleading. If there are no female or minority employees in upper management, regardless of the company-wide statistics, this is a sign of a glass ceiling.
Lack of promotions is only one of the ways a glass ceiling can be revealed. Sometimes women and minorities are left out of meetings or group communication where the business may be discussed. While this may not seem like obvious discrimination at work, especially if the meetings are casual, practices like this keep women and minorities from being seen, literally and figuratively, in the company.
Casual meetings and group communication strengthen professional relationships within the organization, and it is often the people with the strongest business connections who are chosen for promotion. If women and minorities are left out, they are being denied the opportunity to form these relationships.
The glass ceiling can also be revealed through discriminatory hiring practices, promotion requirements and even wage discrimination. Other forms of discrimination, such as sexual harassment, can be associated with a glass ceiling as well. All of these practices are prohibited under both federal and California state discrimination laws.
