What Is A Glass Ceiling At Work?

Los Angeles Gender Discrimination Lawyer Can Help You Overcome This Common Obstacle On The Job

Women sometimes find that they will be promoted within a company for a while, but once they reach a certain level of responsibility, they are no longer considered for advancement. From the outside, there seems to be no reason why they are being ignored. There are no company policies in place to prevent their advancement, and they may even be told that the company promotes on the basis of qualification only… Yet men keep getting promoted ahead of them. This is the glass ceiling. 
  
At Kesluk, Silverstein, Jacob & Morrison, P.C. we want to help end glass ceilings for good. A nationally recognized Los Angeles gender discrimination lawyer from our firm can explain your rights and help you get the opportunities and recognition you deserve.

Examples of Glass Ceiling Discrimination

The term “glass ceiling” can apply to both women and minorities, and is used to describe a barrier that prevents workers from rising to upper level or management positions within a company. One difficulty many victims face is that the glass ceiling can be difficult to prove – it is called an “invisible barrier” for a reason.

Sometimes company leaders will proudly advertise statistics of their business, claiming that a large percentage of their organization is made up of females and/or minorities, but these statistics can be misleading. If there are no female or minority employees in upper management, regardless of the company-wide statistics, this is a sign of a glass ceiling.

Lack of promotions is only one of the ways a glass ceiling can be revealed. Sometimes women and minorities are left out of meetings or group communication where the business may be discussed. While this may not seem like obvious discrimination at work, especially if the meetings are casual, practices like this keep women and minorities from being seen, literally and figuratively, in the company.

Casual meetings and group communication strengthen professional relationships within the organization, and it is often the people with the strongest business connections who are chosen for promotion. If women and minorities are left out, they are being denied the opportunity to form these relationships.

The glass ceiling can also be revealed through discriminatory hiring practices, promotion requirements and even wage discrimination. Other forms of discrimination, such as sexual harassment, can be associated with a glass ceiling as well. All of these practices are prohibited under both federal and California state discrimination laws.

What Types of Businesses Commonly Have Glass Ceilings?

Since the restrictions of a glass ceiling are unique to each company, it can exist almost anywhere. However, it is most often found in businesses that are seen as traditionally “male dominated” or have a history of white male leadership. These industries include the health care field, higher education institutions, such as universities or financial establishments, technology and manufacturing companies.

Regardless of the traditional perception of a job or its history, companies have the responsibility to promote an employee based on his or her qualifications alone. Women and minorities who are consistently passed over for advancement in favor of men are being unlawfully discriminated against.