glass ceiling

[ glas see-ling ]

noun

1. an upper limit to professional advancement, especially as imposed upon women, minorities, and other nondominant groups, that is not readily perceived or openly acknowledged:

   It’s more difficult for women of color to break through the glass ceiling.

glass ceiling

noun

1. a situation in which progress, esp promotion, appears to be possible but restrictions or discrimination create a barrier that prevents it

glass ceiling

1. An unacknowledged — and ultimately illegal — barrier to advancement, especially for women and people of color: “In many professions a woman cannot break through the glass ceiling to the upper level of management.” The term dates from the 1980s.

Word History and Origins

Origin of glass ceiling¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Idioms and Phrases

An unacknowledged discriminatory barrier to advancement, especially for women and minorities. For example, Harriet knew she'd never be promoted—she would never get through the glass ceiling . [1980s]

Example Sentences

Democratic women don’t hold a monopoly on breaking glass ceilings.

From Washington Post

We all know about that figurative glass ceiling composed of laws and traditions holding women down.

From Time

I’m sure you know the concept of the glass ceiling, which describes how women have a hard time rising to the top of organizations.

From Freakonomics

A program like this in SEO could be the game changer that bridges the gap and helps more women gain the needed visibility and shatter glass ceilings only touched by male SEOs.

From Search Engine Land

Barring something unforeseeable, Wall Street banks’ long-standing glass ceiling is history.

From Fortune

What kind of advice would you give to young women to overcome that glass ceiling?

From The Daily Beast

Many, especially those who come from an economically disadvantaged background, still face a glass ceiling.

From The Daily Beast

Women come closer to breaking through the glass ceiling every day.

From The Daily Beast

Joan hit the glass ceiling hard this past season and Hendricks did a great job conveying her torment and anguish.

From The Daily Beast

And you will hear that your vote will be used as a “hammer to break through the glass ceiling of the Oval Office.”

From The Daily Beast

Palms of all kinds filled it, whose trunks and tops often reached close up to the glass ceiling.

From Project Gutenberg

Through the door you enter the garden, with its tiled floor, its glass ceiling, and its low brick retaining walls.

From Project Gutenberg

Evergreens are banked against the brick walls, and flat reliefs are hung just under the glass ceiling.

From Project Gutenberg

A ground glass ceiling diffused a gay rosy light over the marble floor.

From Project Gutenberg

Suddenly, from the painted glass ceiling above, a mellow light has streamed p. 14down upon us all.

From Project Gutenberg