Morgan Smith
Marketing
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of minority women regarding the "glass ceiling" as a barrier to career advancement in corporate America.
INTRODUCTION
What is the glass ceiling? The glass ceiling refers to a barrier in corporate America that prevents women, especially of minorities from advancing within the hierarchy of an organization. The glass ceiling is not only present in corporate America but almost every industry. There are variations of the term which include but are not limited to the following: the bamboo ceiling, glass elevator, and glass cliff. Last year, the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission released a report stating that only 7%-9% of senior managers at Fortune 1000 firms are women.
This research paper, Breaking the Glass, is about the metaphorical barrier that affects African American, Asian and Latino women. The three previously stated ethnic groups will be discussed in this paper because they are the largest following Caucasian Americans. The purpose of this paper is not just to inform the reader of the glass ceiling, but how this information can be used to overcome obstacles in corporate America.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The terms "housewife" and "homemaker" are two words that are dying out. Many women in today's society have several roles: mother, wife, and employee. Women are acquiring high-level positions in corporate America; it's a journey that is long, and hard; especially for women of color because of a barrier, commonly referred to as the "glass ceiling." When women acknowledge this obstacle, it's that much easier to overcome it with motivation and persistence.
The term "glass ceiling" was popularized in a 1986 Wall Street Journal article describing the invisible barriers that women confront as they approach the top of the corporate hierarchy (Dunn, 1997). The Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, a 21-member bipartisan body appointed