brass ceiling noun the difficulty that women face in rising to high positions in the military
Despite that pledge, four women recently sued Panetta and the Pentagon, saying the ban was a ‘brass ceiling’ hindering their advancement through the ranks.
[http://nation.time.com 24 January 2013]
It’s Time to Smash the Brass Ceiling.
[www.huffingtonpost.com [headline] 29 January 2013]
CFBC abbreviation child-free by choice
Like Ruby, I am child-free by choice (CFBC) and proud of it.
[Grazia (UK celebrity magazine) 28 January 2013]
the grass ceiling noun the barrier to promotion in business that is caused by a person’s inability to play golf or to join the the right golf club
IBM chief held back by “grass ceiling”
[www.gqemploymentlaw.com (title) 16 January 2013]
Very good. I liked the two phrases i.e. brass ceiling and the grass ceiling. Brass ceiling is also causing problems to Indian women for seeking jobs in the Army also. For gold ceiling I am not much intersted.
I like “brass ceiling” and “grass ceiling” because they are clever plays on “glass ceiling” the long-standing term for the invisible but impenetrable barrier women face to career advancement.
Women are going to reach positions of power sooner or later, and these terms will be archaic.Before then, we should rejoice in this playful form of rebellion.
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Brass ceiling and grass ceiling are definitely my favorites this week, with their intertextuality to glass ceiling. I hadn’t heard any of them before this, so thanks for sharing. There is however a distinct difference between the brass and the grass (ceilings): where the brass one is directly gender-related (to women, specifically), the grass ceiling affects both sexes but mostly males, I would say, because although there are some outstanding women golfers, golf is not per se a widely practiced sport among the feminine set…:)