Final answer:
The term 'glass ceiling' describes an invisible barrier that prevents promotion based on gender, race, or ethnicity, contributing to employment discrimination and wage gaps.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term glass ceiling refers to an invisible barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified individual in a work environment because of that person's gender, race, or ethnicity. This concept is related to employment discrimination within the labor market. When individuals face the same barriers to employment or promotion due to systemic issues, this can result in wage gaps and limitations on economic mobility, with discrimination often occurring in covert and subtle forms.
Moreover, individuals from minority or historically underrepresented groups may suffer from societal patterns of discrimination that attribute different roles to different genders, particularly in child-rearing. This affects the workplace dynamic where, despite having similar economic characteristics such as education, experience, and skill, workers may be treated unequally. Public policies and legal frameworks aim to reduce these disparities by demanding equal treatment and the promotion of equity among all genders in the labor market.