The problem at hand is one that goes somewhat unnoticed. People subconsciously know of it and what it is. They know it exists and is real but they can’t see it. What is this problem? It is something we call the glass ceiling. What exactly is the glass ceiling? The term glass ceiling refers to situations where the advancement of a qualified person within the hierarchy of an organization is halted at a particular level because of some form of discrimination, most commonly sexism or racism. (Wikipedia) This is very evident in corporate America. Stories arise frequently about people who were unable to obtain raises or move up in rank within the company. Usually this stems from the highest management. They tend to have an agenda, or schema as to what type of person they would prefer to see move up in the company.
How unfair this is, is where we derive the fact that there is a problem to be dealt with. “According to a 1995 study commissioned by the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, 97% of the senior managers of the Fortune 1000 Industrial and Fortune 500 are white, and 95-97% are male. This is occuring while 57% of the workforce is either Ethnic minorities, woman, or both.” (ethnic majority) This stat shows a terrible differential in the percentages of management to workforce. This poor proportion of management to workforce is not a coincidence. “Statistics from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission show 18 percent of white Americans had managerial or executive-level positions in 2000, compared with only 8 percent of Asian Americans” (Washington Post) and Asian Americans aren’t the only people subject to the glass ceiling. According to the graph below white males seem to be the favorite to fill high paying positions. (1999 M ...