The term 'glass ceiling' was coined in 1984. More than 20 years later, the ceiling has barely cracked. There isn't a single country in the world that has as many female as male politicians. In business, the situation is even worse. Its highest echelon - the board - remains a chauvinist's dream.
Interpretation
The glass ceiling persists, indicating ongoing gender inequality in politics and business.
This quote highlights the concept of the 'glass ceiling,' which represents the invisible barriers that prevent women from achieving equal representation in high-level positions, particularly in politics and business. Noreena Hertz underscores that despite progress since the term was introduced, gender disparity remains entrenched, with women still underrepresented in influential roles, pointing to a broader issue of systemic sexism.
In practice
In a speech about women in politics, one might say, 'As we reflect on the challenges that women face, we must acknowledge that the glass ceiling has barely cracked, as Noreena Hertz noted.'
The problem lies with us: we've become addicted to experts. We've become addicted to their certainty, their assuredness, their definitiveness, and in the process, we have ceded our responsibility, substituting our intellect and our intelligence for their supposed words of wisdom.
We live increasingly in a world of haves and have-nots, of gated communities next to ghettos, of extreme poverty and unbelievable riches. Some enjoy rights that are completely denied to others. Relative inequalities are exploding, and the world's poorest, despite all the advances of globalisation, may even be getting poorer.
Our culture needs to find a robust image of female success that is first, not male, and second, not a white woman on the phone, holding a crying baby.
Men think it's a women's word. But what it means is that you believe in equality, and if you stand for equality, then you're a feminist. Sorry to tell you. You're a feminist. You're a feminist. That's it.
It's more important to represent women as complete, whole, complicated humans as opposed to saintly, perfect women. The point isn't that they have to be good people. It's that they have to be people.
It is probable that both in life and in art the values of a woman are not the values of a man.
The view that women are infantile and emotional creatures, and as such, incapable of responsibility and independence is the work of the masculine tendency to lower women's self-respect.
Women, who are a majority of the peoples of the earth, are indispensable to the accumulation of the kind of social capital that is conducive to development, peace, justice and civility.
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