stained glass ceiling

noun

1. a situation in a church organization in which promotion for a female member of the clergy appears to be possible, but discrimination prevents it

Example Sentences

In 1979, a $1 million green-and-amber stained glass ceiling was installed above the casino floor.

From Seattle Times

The US-based Women's Ordination Conference, which advocates for women priests, has called the reform "a significant crack in the stained glass ceiling".

From BBC

It has evolved to address barriers women and others face in all sorts of spheres — a “bamboo ceiling” for Asian Americans, a “stained glass ceiling” for women in the clergy, a “celluloid ceiling” for women in Hollywood, a “marble ceiling” for women in government, even a “Perspex ceiling” for women in manufacturing.

From New York Times

Everyone appreciates the two-story lobby’s solid marble front desk, mahogany detailing, intricate black-and-white mosaic tile floor and colorful, coffered stained glass ceiling, all of which are original.

From Washington Post

Then we get into the finale of this sequence, a gloriously baroque, nasty death where Patricia is first stabbed by the faceless creature, then tangled up in wires and pushed through the stained glass ceiling of the atrium.

From The Guardian