glass ceiling

noun
/ɡlɑːs ˈsiːlɪŋ/UK/ɡlæs ˈsilɪŋ/US

Etymology

From glass + ceiling, a metaphor using ceiling to suggest a barrier to upward mobility, and glass to allude to the often unacknowledged or “invisible” nature of this limitation. The term was coined by the American diversity advocate, management consultant, and writer Marilyn Loden (1946–2022), who referred to the “invisible glass ceiling” during a panel discussion about women’s aspirations in 1978.

  1. derived from celer
  2. inherited from celing
  3. compounded as glass ceiling — “glass + ceiling

Definitions

  1. An unrecognized or unwritten barrier to further progression or promotion, in employment…

    An unrecognized or unwritten barrier to further progression or promotion, in employment and elsewhere, for a member of a specific demographic group (originally women).

  2. A barrier to progression that is not obvious.

    • After several spirited assaults, the FT SE's 3200 glass ceiling finally gave way yesterday, allowing the index to close sharply higher after a day of drifting.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for glass ceiling. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA