Glass Ceiling For years, women’s groups have alleged that women in workplaces encounter a glass ceiling, which refers to discriminatory practices that have prevented women and other protected-class members from advancing to executive-level jobs. Women in the United States are making some progress in getting senior-level, managerial, or professional jobs. Nevertheless, women hold only 12% of the highest-ranking executive management jobs in Fortune 500 companies. By comparison, women hold much lower percentages of the same kinds of jobs in France, Germany, Brazil, and many other countries.12 “Glass Walls” and “Glass Elevator” A related problem is that women have tended to advance to senior management in a limited number of support or