How would you feel if your promotion or an opportunity were passed over just because of your race or gender no matter how hard you worked? For your future career, you need to be aware of the “glass ceiling” and “glass wall”. They are invisible barriers holding people back from achieving their goals and full potential no matter how much they are smart and hardworking.
Glass ceiling is an invisible barrier of discrimination that does not allow specific people even though they are qualified such as women, non-dominant group members, to advance or get promoted to certain positions (boss or a position with more authority) within organizations regardless of gender equality.
Glass wall is another barrier that prevents people with different backgrounds or different appearances from getting hired for certain jobs. Eg. In the past, people with Chinese blood in Myanmar did not get accepted into engineering or medical universities.
How to break past the glass ceiling or glass wall in society or organizations?
- Educate, raise awareness, and promote
Learn and let people know the existence of glass ceiling and glass wall and how they affect people in life and careers. Without the awareness of glass ceiling and glass wall and the way to solve it, if it’s your turn, you won’t be able to fix it.
- Address implicit bias
Implicit bias means judging others unconsciously and unintentionally. This bias can affect our attitude toward others and bring negative impacts on them.
Use training programs to help people recognize and address the bias while individuals like readers yourself can challenge your own bias and work to overcome them.
- Support diversity and inclusion
Diversity means everyone is different and unique. If people do not accept diversity, they result in discrimination without giving equal rights and opportunities to others. Inclusion means accepting differences and welcoming all people so that they are included, respected, and belong in your organisation and your communities.
Organizations should create a culture that supports diversity and inclusion by applying diverse hiring practices, providing mentorship programs, and promoting diversity and inclusion. Individuals can also speak out against discrimination, and support their organizations to support equality and opportunity for all people if workplaces or communities are not supporting diversity and inclusion yet.
- Encourage leadership and career development
Give yourself opportunities to develop your career and leadership skills to break past glass ceiling and glass wall. Attend training programs, seek out opportunities to advance in your career, and build up your skills and networks. Organisations can sponsor these programs, and help underrepresented groups to advance in their careers.
Conclusion
In summary, glass ceiling and glass wall are obstacles that can prevent people from achieving their dreams. But with awareness, education, and appropriate actions, we can break these barriers and create a fair and inclusive society where everyone can succeed, no matter their background or diversity.
Content Writer by Win Win Maw
