Issue Of The Week, VIII: Oh, Those Plexiglas Ceilings: If Only They Could Melt Away…

This article brought up many good points. The idea of comparing confinement to plexiglass is genius! I have yet to really observe a situation involving this plexiglass idea within my life, but I'm sure I will once I enter the workforce full-time. As a white woman, I have to face the fact that eventually I will be working alongside with men with equal experience as I, but who make more money than I will. It's life. I feel like that's never going to change, as much as we try. The only thing that confines me in my life is the fact that I am a woman. People of other races might think the thing that confines them is the color of their skin, where they're from, or their education level. Everyone should have equal opportunities to go where they want in life without anything constricting them. We should all work together to "melt" this plexiglass so we can all be treated equally.

This analogy was absolutely perfect. The comparison of being confined and plexiglas windows really brings the point home. I have not really experienced this sense of confinement personally probably because I am white. Moreover, I would be surprised if anyone really sees this confinements, which I feel to be the point of this article. Because this sense of confinement is glass, we can't see it, nor are we aware of it. The institutions set place in society control this sense of confinement, unbeknown to anyone using these institutions. This article was very well written and described a sense of confinement in an abstract interesting way.

I’ve heard of the notion of the glass ceiling before, but after reading this article I think I understand it better. While reading I couldn’t help but think of Marxism and the idea of out capitalistic society. Though this extremely tough economy we’re in, how are that older individuals are getting laid off? Does society believe they’re not good workers after the age of sixty? This brings up different ideas of discrimination. I was under the impression that we’re past the civil rights era and there are equal rights for all. I wonder if our economy keeps getting worse, who is next to be laid off other than older individuals. Maybe women, since they still don’t receive equal pay and advantages as men. I have to say, this was an interesting article to read.

The article makes a valid point on how it seems like we are all being confined by an impenetrable wall of plexiglass. At times it seems that way, especially during our recent economic lull. I personally disagree. I feel that it still is only a glass ceiling that is holding us back, and yes sometimes the ceiling seems thicker than other times. To get past the glass ceiling is possible, it just takes determination. It is going to change but it will take time. Many people are discouraged by the length of time it could take for the glass ceiling to be completely removed. A long time ago no one ever thought it would possible for slavery to outlawed but after enought pressure that glass ceiling was eventually broken. The glass ceilings that bind our society are breakable, we just havent applied the right amount of pressure to break them.

I like the analogy this article uses comparing our own personal confinements in life to plexiglass ceilings. We can see the other side but something is keeping us back from achieving what we see. In my life I have my own ceilings. As a woman in society I have certain limitations placed on me. I am not given equal treatment as men. I have not fully felt the effects of this yet but I know I will once I enter the corporate workforce or in other aspects of life. Women in general are not paid as much as men are and a lot of times are not valued as much for certain jobs. Women are expected to act a certain way and stay within the confines of their roles. Not only is gender a 'ceiling' for most people in society, race is another issue. I have not experienced this issue personally because I am white. I only know what I observe and what I am educated about. Since racism is still prevalent in our society this issue creates many barriers for people. Your religion and culture can be barriers for people. When people are expected to act and be a certain way this can become very confining. I think a lot of times people only achieve what their culture and society makes them believe they can. Its those who reach beyond their limitations who really empower and prove to others that anything is possible. In my own life I try to not let standards and expectations get in the way of my personal achievement. I can break through the glass by pushing past my borders and achieving all that I can regardless.

I feel as though the analogy presented in this article is perfect for representing oppression in our society. It often goes unnoticed by the oppressors and by some of the oppressed, and only education on the topic can fully inform these people of what they cannot see in day to day life in the various aspects of our society. The different ceilings in place in various aspects of our lives are intended to put a cap on our achievement levels which then controls where we will go in life, some of these ceilings are different for different people, specifically, people of color may have more of these "ceilings" (aka oppressive actions towards them) when compared to whites. The last picture in the article is nice, with the sign pointed upwards stating "the sky's the limit," but unfortunately our reality is that there are a lot of limits involved in our society, some of which go completely unnoticed, but perhaps one day there will be less and less of these ceilings, which will eventually end with equality

I found it very interesting how this article made ceilings an analogy of human’s ways of interacting with society and life. Humans do have walls and heights that are limited and they stay below that line. They sometimes never go past it and this definitely affects their ways of networking others around them. Definitely, these ceilings are not acknowledged or even recognized as a problem, but it is important to think about the limitations that confine people from living a better life or even a bigger dream. It isn’t easy to break through this Plexiglas ceiling but it is possible.

I find the analogy of the plexiglass ceiling to be apt but incredibly pessimistic, because I do not believe that the barriers to advancement are necessarily indestructable. The plexiglass analogy insinuates that such ceilings are indestructable.

I don't know if a large uprising to shatter these walls is possible in our current state. Obviously the first step is a dialogue in these issues of inequality, but even that will be difficult. The key thing in dealing with these issues is to constantly better yourself to make yourself the best candidate to advance in society.

I guess my major point is that it is easy to sit back and blame these "ceilings" for our failures; it is much harder yet far more rewarding to work to eliminate them at a personal level.

How do we get rid of racial plexiglass?
This would require a reconstruction of socialization. This would need to take place not just in the work place, but in schools, and in families. Plexiglass cannot be broken. Wholisitic reconstruction would have to take place. An example would be taking down the WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) example from the middle school history classroom, and combining them with other relevant figures. In suggesting this, I'm encouraging the removal of a singular cultural capital.
No one culture should be endorsed in society. This would only hinder the growth and development of minority peoples. Cultural capital reinforces the lie that some are more important, more special than others. From a young age, cultural captial can be seen and felt; We cannot be ignorant to its effect.

Racial plexiglas can be seen everywhere in the world. Of course in our daily life, in business, work force, the military, school, and in the media. As we look at businesses in America, it is really hard for minorities to get promoted to a higher level in their job. As we see these big companies we see lots of Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and then the few Oprah Winfrey's in the world. It is really hard for a minority to advance in there career. In an episode of the George Lopez show it proves just that. George was promoted to be head manager but compared to his two white bosses, was he really respected? They always say hard work always pays off, but in my opinion sometimes your hardest isn't always enough, no matter how good you are at what you do when you are a minority. When African Americans got the right to vote and were free from slavery, it took a long while before they were respected and recognized. All the years of trying and fighting, no one lift up an eyebrow, and it is still like that today. It will take a lot for this plexiglas to be lifted off because America is still so used to it, although, it is better than before, it's still not good enough.

Ceiling, plexiglas, I never thought of that analogy before. I've only heard of the trapped in a cage or in a box analogy, but I really like this one. I feel like we are limited to what we can achieve in this society. For example, like in a company. There is a limit to where an African, Asian, Mexican person can go when it comes to ranks within a company, but a Caucasian man can go as high as he desires. I feel like as much or as hard a person in a minority acts its never going to change unless we change the way we run our society, no discrimination or ranks but just making choices from our skills. But I do disagree on the fact that they make it seem as though we can never break through these ceilings, it makes those who wants to make a different feel like they can't when in reality, we can achieve anything we put our mind into. But I really like this one!

This article brings up an important social issue that is overlooked by many people. Most of our social status is determined controlled and limited by these ceilings discussed in this article. Its unfortunate for people to have limits to their success in life based on their race, ethnicity, religion... This could possible cause for people to blame themselves for their nonfulfillment in life, they might reason that they did not trie hard enough or something, but in reality these ceilings could be the real factors of their unsuccess. Saying that these ceilings are unbreakable is a very pessimistic perspective. I have learned that there is always ways or alternatives to go about on what seem permanent barriers through the TINA (There Is No Alternatives) philosophy. If we really take a moment to analyze these ceilings we will notice that they are all socially constructed meaning that they can be socially deconstructed. We as a society must step up to the plate and find different ways to tackle this problem that affects millions of people world wide.

The glass ceiling is known to exist. I have learned about it for many years. I can definitely see where it comes from. I have seen many companies promote men over women. The plexiglass ceiling is a very interesting concept. I have never thought of it in this way, but it certainly exists. There are many "ceilings" which different types of people face. These ceilings are brought on by society's perceptions of certain groups of people. We need to make a conscious effort to promote people who have different backgrounds. The ceilings need to be broken in order to improve society and the economy. The glass ceiling as existed for years and now other ceilings are coming into existence. We need to cut these out before they really take hold of our country.

This article brought up a really good analogy. I feel like we have those plexiglas ceilings in so many areas of our social lives. For example- the roles between men and women or otherwise called gender roles, Barriers placed on your ethnicity and also for homosexuals. I also think though that these ceilings can be removed and we can change things for the better in our society. Like in another article I read on this site- it only takes one person to start or create a major change. I think there will always be racism and minorities will always be discriminated against but individually we can try to make a difference.

I myself don't think I have ever experienced this plexiglas analogy because I am Caucasian and haven't been able yet to try to move up the ladder in a work force.

This article brought up a really good analogy. I feel like we have those plexiglas ceilings in so many areas of our social lives. For example- the roles between men and women or otherwise called gender roles, Barriers placed on your ethnicity and also for homosexuals. I also think though that these ceilings can be removed and we can change things for the better in our society. Like in another article I read on this site- it only takes one person to start or create a major change. I think there will always be racism and minorities will always be discriminated against but individually we can try to make a difference.

I myself don't think I have ever experienced this plexiglas analogy because I am Caucasian and haven't been able yet to try to move up the ladder in a work force.

This article really nailed it with the analogy of comparing our personal confinements to plexiglass. Personally I don't recall ever being confined and that might be due to the fact that I'm not involved in the working economy of today. Nevertheless, our society has other barriers in life such as race, culture, religion, gender roles, etc. All of these institutions have set regulations upon us regardless of what one may believe or not. I know that once I'm set into the workforce I will not have the same rights a white male does, simply because I'm not of the 'White' race and because I'm a woman. I do believe that by breaking through these ceilings that have come to oppress our society in so many ways things could change. It all starts with one person breaking through the so called 'norms' we live by and demonstrating to others that there must be change in order to prosper. Our society has come a long way, from women being denied the right to vote and blacks being segregated from whites and so forth. In my eyes our society has not yet reached the complete extinction of racism and in all honesty I doubt that will ever happen.

The Plexiglas illustration of the glass ceiling is so perfect for our world today. There is much legislation that provides equal opportunities and rights to all individuals of our nation, but somehow we are dumbfounded to realize a ceiling still exists. I find it rather appalling that women or minorities will be hired or promoted and then someone will scoff, "That only happened because of affirmative action." Those comments are examples of the Plexiglas ceiling that is everpresent. While progress has been made and rights have been legally handed down, the general attitude of the nation determines the overall future success of the law. This attitude needs to go away, along with all of the racist/sexist individuals who disagree. The Plexiglas ceiling WILL be destroyed, but it will take far more hard word and continued efforts.

The problem with society today has to do with the differences between classes. People who are of different races or who live in different parts of the country are divided into different classes. This problem would not be that bad for our society if it was not so difficult for people of different races and classes to ascend up. People at the bottom and people at the top are separated by a Plexiglas ceiling. People in the lower classes wish to move up in society, but are unable because society does not allow them to move past the Plexiglas. People in the upper class who fall are unable to fall through the Plexiglas because they are protected by the upper class. The lower class now has a hard time trying to move up in society because they are unable to move through the metaphoric Plexiglas. They need to work even harder now to gain prominence in society because the Plexiglas is so hard to break through. Our society needs to find easier ways for people to move from lower to upper class.

I feel as though in todays time there are different heights of ceilings when it comes to gender. I feel like males are more likely to reach and climb the ladder faster toward higher achievements than females. This is not how it should be instead we should all have the same ladder to climb and equal opportunities to get into higher positions. This is an issue that is affecting america as a whole and it will not stop until we do something about it.

Ceilings and walls, we live in this confined box where certain groups can advance and others can not because they reached their limit or can not break through. The confinements that I currently am experience is being a white young adult female who is about to graduate college and jump in to the white male run corporate america. I can imagine how much hard it must be for someone say of African descent or any other person of color. It is just madding that women still get less than a dollar for every dollar a man makes. A woman can doing the same job as a man and she will make less just because of her gender. Why is that? Why does society places all these resistants, holding people back. It drives me nuts. We are equal, just get over it. For more, another around classification that we put on women is the fact that when we fill out forms women had to are labeled, married (MRS.), single(MS.), or young lady (MISS), where as a man is just (MR.). No matter his age, or is status he will always be a Mr. This is another ceiling that we as women experience!

The barriers that restrict people from achieving the same accomplishments in the work place range from lack of education to sadly race. I do see how the lack of education can affect a person’s ability to climb the levels at their place of employment. Younger people are influenced to go to college and get a degree, while it was acceptable for people fifty or older to pass college and go straight into the labor force. The sad fact, that no one back forty years ago saw, is that most things are being ran mostly by technology. That technology, in turn, is run by educated people that understand the modern technology. Yes, the fact that younger people have the potential to stay with a company longer plays a major factor in the barriers creates this problem too. Companies can benefit more from young people with college degrees that grow up understanding and using these new technologies than from older generations with no first hand understanding of it. The phrase my parents have always said sticks out more as I get older, “You can’t afford a college education, but you can’t afford to live without one”, makes me grateful that I have no restrictions in my life that prevent me from being successful thus far.

I like how this article discussed the idea of ceilings acting as barriers between people in all aspects of life. I definately see the glass ceiling as a barrier between white men and women and minorities. It is evident in companies that white men receive higher wages and can move up the corporate ladder more easily. I also see ceilings as a problem with regards to jobs and education. Since we live in an ever changing world, we are seeing more and more everyday how education is a ceiling in the workforce. People who enter the workforce without any education can only hope to climb the ladder so far because the ceiling is separating them from educated workers. However, I have mixed feelings on how the article describes the ceilings as being plexiglas instead of glass or silver. I feel like this is more fitting for society as a whole because glass can break easy and silver bends but plexiglas can take a beating. No matter how hard people who are at a disadvantage fight they might damage the barrier but never break it. Individuals in my opinion face their own glass ceilings that could break with enough pressure of their own. Some people do break through, others don't. However, society as a whole faces a plexiglas ceiling and it is really hard to break and get everyone in society through, but with enough help from everyone it can be achieved.

For a long time, I have viewed these 'ceilings' that restrict people from reaching higher goals as issues that are completely separate from the life I lead. To be more succinct, I saw these struggles as something I could not affect or be affected by- merely a helpless bystander watching people meet opposition. I AM female, but because of my younger age, I had not yet come to personally face the beast of sex discrimination or any sort of 'glass ceiling' in my career. However, as I grow older, I see that the barriers facing my role in society loom more dangerously than I had envisioned. All walks of life aside, I think that it is each person carries a responsibility in the history of these 'ceilings'. We may not be included in groups that are directly affected by limitations these ceilings present, but I think that the way people react to them is inherently linked to the future existence of such bonds on humans. Above everything else I have learned when studying sociology is the importance of contact- and this element is essential when addressing 'ceilings'. People need to form relationships with others from all walks of life and get personal insight into the way they live and experience the culture we each find ourselves immersed in. By doing so, we can expel stereotypes, which I believe fuel the limitations people mentally place on other groups. I think that people recognizing that others are equal, despite identifications with certain groups, is paramount in the drive that can release people from the ceilings that confine them.

This article was an interesting read. I am not in the workforce at this time as I am a stay at home mom.....well and full time student. After finishing school and taking the classes I have taken I feel like I will see the working world in an entirely new way. For me, a white female in her early 30's I would probably have thought that no barriers would stand in my way. Now, I'm not so sure. And then there are my children, specifically my daughter. She is "bi-racial" and female and will experience life and the presence of these "ceilings" in a completely different way than me. I wonder if I will even be able to prepare her for what is to come, not only as a female, but an African American female. An article I am reading right now regarding the "Multiple Jeopardy" that black women face in our society has really opened my eyes to another view of the world. And possibly a view of the ceilings that my daughter may be forced to break through during her lifetime.

As a middle-class white male, I admittedly don't face the same problems that people of other ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds face. I'm not followed through department stores or discriminated on because of my appearance in a regular social setting. When it comes to jobs, there will be no doubt in my mind that race or gender won't be taken into consideration during the application process. Why? 1) I'm white, the majority and 2) I'm male, a majority of the work force.

Although laws prohibit discrimination against a person during the hiring for a job, we all know it happens. That "glass ceiling" those people have when they want a job can't be broken, unless the person hiring has a different subconscious mindset.

The land that we call home and free, America, doesn't really present equal opportunities for everyone. Barriers are very hard to break down, like plexiglas. It's going to be quite difficult for any real change to take place in a short amount of time. To change a whole societal perception it's going to take years and years of work, but we can already see some progress taking place. Patience is a real key factor for change.

At the moment right now I cannot connect with this saying of "plexiglass ceilings." I am a white woman who never really has been discriminated against. I know being a woman gives me a disadvantage, but I have yet to experience it yet in the work force. It is very frustrating and upsetting that people say that our country has equal opportunities for everyone, but that is completely untrue. From what I have observed there has always been this subconscious thing that people just feel like white males are superior than anyone else without a clear reason.
My mother works at a engineering company, which as you can imagine is mostly male. She has told me stories where she would give some of the men in her department ideas and they would actually be surprised that she came up with that. She would always be shocked that they would think that, I mean how else did she get the job? This plexiglass situation that we face in America is something that will be difficult to end completely, but what we first must do is confront it, admit that it exists and take steps to change it.

I have not yet been exposed to these types of situations. I am still a college student, but in the future I know I will come across these issues. They will probably not affect me being a white male but I will still see them out there. No matter how much people say these "ceilings" are disappearing, they are still very prominent. Things such as educational, racial, religious, and ethnic differences will play a big factor in the size of your pay check and the opportunities you receive from your employer. Another interesting factor is the "silver ceiling" with companies laying off old workers to accommodate younger employees.

Many employers are being forced to cut back on the number of people they have working for their company. Who are they to fire? Well if they fire an African American just to cut people, then they can sue the company for firing them for their color. Companies will try and stay away from firing young white people and going after the elderly. They fire the elderly who having been working for them for decades just to keep the young workers just out of college. They figure if they fire an older person, they can just go on welfare or get early social security. They have to commitment to anybody now days. It’s all about how a company can maximize its profit. Can the glass ceiling be broken down slowly? Maybe in 50 years women will make as much money as men and color of your skin will not matter.

The biggest ceiling affecting me is that I am of the female persuasion! Okay, yes I'm white and there is this apparent white privilege that I am automatically given or entitled to but I still have to work hard, prove myself to employers and fellow co-workers that I know what I'm doing and deserve the job. I will always struggle with the thought did I get the job because I was interviewed by a male who thought I was attractive, is the company trying to "diversify" and hire more women, or did I get the job because out of all the candidates I was most fit? I'm not trying to say that African American, Latina, or Asian females don't have it just as difficult or more so I am just recognizing the fact that just because I happen to be white I am still confronted with that Plexiglas ceiling, and by getting a higher education and striving for a better future as a single white female I hope to be one of the many to put pressure on and eventually break through that barrier.

In most careers, I would expect to earn less money than male coworkers simply because of my status as a women. In law, business, and even education, men make much money over their life. Although, because of my career choice in opera, I can expect to make closer to what a male makes because of the need of women in the career. However, one cannot say that this field is without prejudice. Someone with out the means to pay for going to auditions around the country or even to hire coaches and teachers would be at a much greater disadvantage. So, even though the "plexiglass ceiling" may not exist in regards to gender, there is a definite socio-economic advantage some people will have over others in the career.