GLASS CEILING EFFECT
In Economics, the term glass ceiling refers to situations where the advancement of a qualified person within the hierarchy of an organization is stopped at a lower level because of some form of discrimination, most commonly sexism or racism. An unofficial barrier to opportunities within an organization or company which is perceived to prevent protected classes of workers, particularly women from advancing to higher positions.
According to the Federal Class Ceiling Commission, the concept Glass Ceiling refers to “artificial barriers to the advancement of women and minorities.” The glass ceiling is the “unseen, yet unbreakable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements.”
David Cotter et al. defined four distinctive characteristics that must be met to conclude that a glass ceiling exists:
1. "A glass ceiling inequality represents a gender or racial difference that is not explained by other job-relevant characteristics of the employee."
2. "A glass ceiling inequality represents a gender or racial difference that is greater at higher levels of an outcome than at lower levels of an outcome.
3. "A glass ceiling inequality represents a gender or racial inequality in the chances of advancement into higher levels, not merely the proportions of each gender or race currently at those higher levels."
4. "A glass ceiling inequality represents a gender or racial inequality that increases over the course of a career."
TYPES OF GLASS CEILING BARRIERS * Different pay for comparable work. * Sexual, ethnic, racial, religious discrimination or harassment in the workplace. * Lack of family-friendly workplace policies (or, on the flipside, policies that discriminate against gay people, non-parents, or single parents). * Exclusion from informal networks. * Stereotyping and preconceptions of women's roles and abilities. * Failure