The glass ceiling describes the barriers that prevent marginalised groups, specifically women, from advancing to the highest positions or forms of leadership, regardless of their skills and qualifications. The term was coined in the Wall Street Journal by Mairlyn Loden in 1978, and it emphasised the invisible barriers that women face with advancing in their careers. These barriers are rooted in workplace culture, the gender pay gap, and lack of access to opportunities and promotions. Fast forward to 2025, and the glass ceiling continues to prevent women and marginalised groups from reaching top positions. The question is now, nearly 50 years after the concept was first formed, are we plateauing or progressing?
Why Glass?
The glass ceiling is glass for a reason. It is not always obvious, and it often goes unseen. The glass ceiling can be formed through unwritten policies that exclude marginalised groups and women from certain jobs and spaces. This invisible ceiling is built on systemic biases, stereotypes, and prejudices that restrict these people from developing in different spaces. Bailey Reiners’ article, “What is the Glass Ceiling”, states that the concept may take on various forms, such as micro-aggressions, being treated as incompetent, feeling isolated, and being overlooked for promotions and opportunities.
Tokenism behind Representation
We often see that many organisations tend to showcase their “diverse” staff photos, but such acts of tokenism often disguise the deeper inequalities of a system that embraces individuals in the company. However, the culture within the organisations remains unchanged because this surface-level progress is often argued to be purely representative. There is a lack of transformation that fails to address the structural issues that many women, people of colour, people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and others face.
Academia, Work, and Personal Lives
The glass ceiling is prominent in the field of academia and can be seen through the lack of research funding for under-represented groups. Women are more likely to occupy middle-level management or administrative positions rather than executive roles. Often, there are double standards with judging women against their male counterparts. In society, women tend to be framed as primary caregivers and are expected to carry a heavier domestic load. This influences how they balance work with their personal responsibilities.
Cracking the Ceiling
There are various opinions on how to “crack” the ceiling. Some argue that it is through policy changes that are transparent and equitable, while others argue that it is about shifting the culture of the environment. Different legal acts are aimed at ensuring representation in organisations, as seen with the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act. Every day, women need to jump through hoops for their achievements to be valued as much as a man’s. We see this through ideas such as women in STEM, thriving in male-dominated spaces, and “defying the odds”. Overall, cracking the ceiling entails restructuring and challenging the systems that once kept the ceiling in place.
Progressing over Plateauing
The National Research Foundation has found that, between 2005 and 2020, the publication output of scientific articles by women in South African universities has increased from 1.1% in 2005 to 36.8% in 2020. This shows the growing role of women in academic spaces. It is possible to challenge the systemic barriers that have been in place for years. However, perhaps we should start with moving beyond equality because equality focuses on giving the same opportunities to everyone, whereas equity focuses on recognising that not everyone starts from the same place. This concept recognises that different measures need to be put in place to truly allow for the same opportunities for all. Progressing is moving from equality towards equity by dismantling the systemic disadvantages that affect marginalised groups.
Whether the glass ceiling continues to plateau or moves toward genuine progress depends on the sustained commitment to systemic change and policies that go beyond symbolic gestures or surface-level reforms. While progress has been made in academia and representation over the years, the tricky part lies not only in cracking the ceiling, but dismantling it entirely to create spaces and opportunities that are genuinely accessible to all.
