Glass Ceiling

Defined
An invisible boundary for women or minorities seeking higher positions.

Example
In 1984, Geraldine A. Ferraro became the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket. Speaking at the University of Virginia in 2006, she predicted that 'the glass ceiling in presidential politics will not be broken' in her lifetime. Hillary Rodham Clinton, campaigning for president, hopes to break that glass ceiling in 2008 that Ferraro once referred to. (The Washington Post, Oct. 7, 2006)

HISTORY
This phrase was coined in the mid-1980s. Alice Sargent, a Fortune 500 consultant, told The Washington Post that women in corporate America are 'bumping their heads on the glass ceiling. Women are looking up at the top and not making it into the board room or the executive suites.' The term has evolved to describe an obstacle females seeking the highest offices in politics and business sometimes face. (The JFK Library archives).

• Bracing For the Gender Neutral Test (Newsweek)

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