Glass Ceilings…

Breaking glass ceilings often refers to the struggle of women and minorities to achieve advancements in the business world.  To group people by gender, race, religion, or ethnicity is too simplistic.  These groups are not monolithic.   

Women and men of color have a steeper climb than white women and men.  For people who are gay, the climb is steeper still - whether they are male or female. Women who are pregnant (or of child-bearing age) are less likely to advance than their male counterparts.  People with disabilities - whatever their intersectionalities - have the hardest climb of all.  

Glass ceilings are not reserved for business environments.  They exist in our everyday lives as well.  In some male-dominated societies, women are forced to cover themselves in public and are denied the right to attend college.  Some cultures turn to seniors as respected founts of wisdom while others reject older citizens as past their prime and usefulness.

Glass ceilings exist everywhere: All represent issues of civil rights and human rights.  They are especially hard to break because they are invisibly reinforced with the steely weight of biases, stereotypes, as well as cultural beliefs and traditions that date back centuries.  To shatter them requires our collective will to stand together for each other and against discrimination.

The good news is that progress is being made every day not only in the United States but across the globe.  The hope is that one day the news of a deserving person’s award, promotion, or election will no longer be heralded with the two words:  “The first…”