MULTI-TEXT ASSIGNMENT
BY HILARY SZE
REFLECTING
Lorena
2032
DEFINITION
The definition of the glass ceiling
Glass Ceiling
The glass ceiling is a metaphor for an invisible social barrier that prohibits an individual, usually women, from advancing to higher management positions or achieving success in their careers. Companies frequently have homogenous leadership teams lacking representation of diverse genders. Therefore, there is a negative correlation between women in the workforce and leadership. As a woman advances in their career, the leadership and job promotion opportunities decrease drastically.
Monthly Reflection
Saturday, June 19, 2032
10:00 am
Dear Diary,
This week has been like all the other weeks before. Every day, I follow the same schedule. I wake up, go to work in the city, sit in my cubicle, attend meetings, come home, and repeat. I have been a software engineer for five years now and it is time for a promotion. All my colleagues have been promoted to senior positions already. Even the software engineers that joined the team after me have advanced in their careers. Yet, I still find myself trapped in the same place, in the same cubicle, completing the same type of work.
I have tried talking to my supervisors on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, my request always gets rejected. Every time I ask for a promotion or to take the lead on a new project, I get told that I do not have the leadership experience to do so. They feel that I am not assertive or confident enough to become a director at the company. However, how can I be qualified if I never get the chance to prove myself? I possess the knowledge and educational background to hold a management-level position. All I need is an opportunity to showcase my abilities to lead.
This week, I finally got tired of my work arrangements and mustered up the courage to talk to my supervisors again. As I took the glass elevator from the 15th to the 20th floor, I watched the cubicles disappear and become full office rooms. After each floor, the elevator stopped and I noticed fewer women worked there. By the time I was on the 18th floor, only men in suits were present. Two more floors and I would be talking to my supervisors.
While I waited to arrive on the 20th floor, I gazed at the elevator's reflective glass ceiling. The longer I spent staring at myself, the more I realized the problem is not because I am unqualified for the part. Instead, it is because I do not look the part. I now understand the problem is that I am a woman.
The elevator door opened, and I hesitated to step out. Gradually, the doors slid closed, and I headed back to my cubicle. Maybe they are right. I am just not ready yet. Hopefully, one day I will be. Until then, I should stay put.
- Lorena
“The mirror is a powerful tool because it forces you to deal with yourself on a deeper level.”