It ’s Not the Ceiling; It’s the Floor

We have newly designed office space at work. The conference rooms are now elegant glass enclosures with subtle glass doors at their center. One day I sat in a meeting and watched a female colleague approach the doors at full speed, coffee in one hand, papers in the other. She was running late but had arrived at the right room. She was where she was meant to be. I glanced back at the table, preparing to present my work, when I heard the loud thud. I looked up just in time to see the woman collide into the glass door. Papers flew into the air and coffee fell to the floor. She looked stunned, as did everyone in the conference room. We looked down politely as though it never happened. The woman laughed nervously, made the appropriate expression of self deprecation (from behind the glass) and then retreated. We proceeded with the meeting. No one noticed or acknowledged that she did not return.
That is how most women understand the glass ceiling: as a witness to others’ mishaps. Most women in medicine know the ceiling exists but never get high enough to swing at it. A few women at the top collide into an invisible barriers and go no further. The majority of women simply find themselves on uneven footing, as though always standing in mud. For most women (though not all), it is not the ceiling that holds them back; it’s the floor that sinks beneath them.
Why do women work so hard just to stay above the surface? Why aren’t women positioned on a crisp dance floor on which to show...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - May 9, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs