Maybe even more clever is the implication that the glass ceiling -- misogyny, antifeminism, pretend feminism, etc -- is what's holding Palin up.

Interesting. I never really thought of the glass ceiling as being women as a group, but that certainly stands to make sense.

Still, couldn't a glass ceiling, be that a woman has never broken through to the biggest job in the land? In that sense it could be one glass ceiling was broken. Well, then again, sort of. After all she's not going to be Pres, she'll be VP.

(I'd actually argue there's one glass ceiling for white women, and another, harder-to-crack glass ceiling for women of color.)

There are multiple glass ceilings for white women too.

There are the ones that graduates of elite schooling systems of the well to do and privileged get to crack.

Then there is the one that hovers above the concrete floors of retail and the tile floors of hospitals and the like that working class white women get to try to crack in pursuit of a job where they get to sit instead of stand throughout their shift.

Being poor working class white is very much like being a person of color, You go to the poorer schools with less educational opportunity and if you attained positions in the tech fields as many of us did in the 1980 you have watched as your jobs were off shored in the name of flat world or free trade. You watched your salary gains get killed and yourself get pushed from the fields you worked so hard to get into by H1B Visa Tech indentured servants.

Class shares a lot of similarities to race in terms of oppression with the nastiness of horizontal clashing between people at the bottom brought on by the killing of unions and the labor movement that occurred as a result of red scares and right wing anti-labor laws such as the Taft-Hartley Slave Labor Act of 1947.

SuzyQ
http://womanrebel.blogspot.com

I forget who said it first, but she was right.

The glass ceiling is not made of glass... It's made of MEN!

Talking about sexism without blaming the men at the top (cuz it is all men at the top) is like talking about rape without saying rape.

Seriously! What good is "shattering" the glass ceiling if it leaves millions of women behind? People completely misconstrue what the term "glass ceiling" means. It's wonderful that women are breaking into politics, but it shouldn't be that one single woman is walking across the glass ceiling, while the rest of us watch from below. It's up to that woman (or women) walking above the ceiling to reach down and help her sisters make it up there as well. I don't have any confidence that Sarah Palin will do that.

It makes me very happy to see my suggestion followed up :3 Great post btw, you definitely said it far better than I did in my short little paragraph. Hence why you guys are simply awesome :)

"There are the ones that graduates of elite schooling systems of the well to do and privileged get to crack.

Then there is the one that hovers above the concrete floors of retail and the tile floors of hospitals and the like that working class white women get to try to crack in pursuit of a job where they get to sit instead of stand throughout their shift."

I think SuzyQ has addressed something important here. It's very true that said ceiling is easier to crack (or, in Palin's case, be hoisted upon) if you have the money and social class background that both Palin and Clinton are fortunate to possess. (Not knocking Clinton's hard work or anything, but let's remember who she's married to, people.)

But I would be careful about stating that "Being poor working class white is very much like being a person of color." Because a person of colour is a VISIBLE minority. A person of colour walks into a workplace with dark skin or other trademarks that mark her as non-white (for example, even a pale-skinned minority might wear a hijab). And these factors create an instanteous first impression that will cause others to be promoted ahead of her in many, many workplaces and job markets. I think that it might be just as hard for working-class white women as women of colour, but for very dissimilar reasons. Is it harder for an upper-class woman of colour or for a working-class white woman? It would be interesting to look at the stats, and identify methods of solving each issue individually.

Also, on this topic, note the physical appearance of Sarah Palin - attractive, "feminine," etc. For a woman like that, men are much more likely to pass down a ladder.

And on that note, Ann, this is a great summation of why conservatives have to stop calling Palin a damn feminist, because she's just NOT. The ignorance of some people! They need to read your post.

Did Palin really say she is one of the 18 million cracks? I thought that number referred to how many votes Hillary Clinton got in the primaries--is she secretly saying she voted for Clinton?! ;)

I think it is very pessimistic to say that one woman reaching such a powerful position does nothing to break the ceiling. While I completely agree that Palin will not break the glass ceiling if she, God forbid, ends up in the white house, this is because she will promote anti-feminist policies. However, had Clinton been elected, she would have helped break the ceiling for other women because she would have put feminist policies in place. But more importantly, because she would have inspired women throughout the country. You can't underestimate the role that that inspiration would play, if not for the adults of today, then certainly for today's children!

To say that such a monumental advancement of one woman makes no different for the rest of women, would be like saying that Jackie Robinson did nothing for blacks by becoming the first black baseball player, or that Ruby Bridges did nothing for all black children by becoming one of the first black children to enter a white school. One person can make a difference. No, Palin is not that person, but another woman could be.

We definitely all have different glass ceilings, though there's still an overall one that, even when one woman gets through, remains largely intact.

Coming from a lower-class background based in Eastern Kentucky, I can tell you that it's not the same for us all. I'm a first-generation college graduate, for one. Plus there's the economy here: now, even with an Master's degree, I make $17/hour at one part-time job and roughly $300/per month/per class at the other part-time job, both of which teaching positions at a university. So, teaching five classes earns me a take-home of about $2,100 per month, and I don't get any pay during January or May. In other words, I make about $21,000 a year take-home pay with a Master's degree, and that's as good as the opportunity gets. I'm hoping to get out of KY by next summer, but my obstacles are very different from other white women, especially those - like my mother - with high school education only.

But I would be careful about stating that "Being poor working class white is very much like being a person of color." Because a person of colour is a VISIBLE minority. A person of colour walks into a workplace with dark skin or other trademarks that mark her as non-white (for example, even a pale-skinned minority might wear a hijab). And these factors create an instanteous first impression that will cause others to be promoted ahead of her in many, many workplaces and job markets. I think that it might be just as hard for working-class white women as women of colour, but for very dissimilar reasons. Is it harder for an upper-class woman of colour or for a working-class white woman? It would be interesting to look at the stats, and identify methods of solving each issue individually.

I used similar and not same for a reason.

And yes I do think class trumps color in some very real ways.

If one is a person of color who has gone to elite schools from childhood then you have contacts that you developed in childhood. You then go to the elite colleges and universities and intern in elite positions.

If you are poor and very hard working, say an over achiever you go to the public schools in your neighborhood maybe win a state scholarship and go to a state college where you work some working class job in the summer.

Afterward your resume is one of thousands whereas the person who grew up in the higher class has the job given to them through their network that was established back in the pre-school

I would love to say more but my job on the concrete floor of a big box is calling.

Sorry SuzyQ, I didn't mean to imply that you were wrong, I just meant to elaborate. And I agree with you entirely. Class privilege is something that many women and men take for granted. Most women of colour aren't blessed with such privilege, after all, and it's one of the reasons their ceiling is thicker, just like that of working-class women. And, for that matter, disabled women and others who don't fit the social "norm."

I wrote a comment yesterday regarding the fact that through my experience as a woman of color married to a black man and having black children I believe that racism is the biggest "ism" that we still face in this country. It does not matter to some that we are "college educated, married suburbinites with kids". This fact have never stop some people from following us around the stores or not offering assistance or yelling out racial epithets. This is just a day out of our lives.

As a woman I experience sexism, but then I am not sure whether what I experience is racism or sexism or both?.Like when the school principal wants to talk to my husband after he just spoke to me.Is it because I am Latino( we are not always regarded for our intelligence) or because I am a woman( we are not always regarded for our intelligence) and my husband can maybe change my mind? Sigh! My head hurts.

Palin has done more to break the glass ceiling than Hillary has. Palin became governor of Alaska on her own merits and was nominated for the vice presidency based on her own record and positions (whether you like them or not). Hillary got into the Senate because of her husband and thought she could get the presidency by counting her husband's experience and accomplishments as her own. Which would you rather have as your daughter's role model, a woman who earns her own power or one who marries it?

I'm not going to vote for McCain/Palin, because I disagree with their platform, but I respect Gov. Palin's independence and accomplishments, just as I respect Pelosi, Mikulski, Boxer, etc. I'll be happy when Hillary gets off the stages and lets the hard-working women politicians who worked their way up get some of the spotlight and credit they deserve.

I've said this before in a previous post, but IMO Sarah Palin is like a person who takes credit for opening the pickle jar when 18,000,000 other people did all of the sweaty work loosening it for her. She doesn't deserve to open THIS jar.

AvidOne

Hillary Clinton went to Wellesley College, then Yale Law School. She was also a partner in a successful law firm, and had many administrative jobs in the White House, other than just being the pretty lady standing next to the President. Though she had plenty of name recognition which helped her with the senate seat, people would not have voted for her if her resume was simply "I'm married to a former president."

On another note, I actually see the message of the cartoon being that Sarah Palin is walking atop an unbroken glass ceiling. Meaning she didn't break anything, but was given a free ride on the elevator. That was the first meaning I got from it, which makes me like the cartoon.

She was considered a "rainmaker", not a trial lawyer, at the Rose Law Firm, because her husband's position as governor brought clients to the firm. She didn't work as many hours as the other partners, her role was to be a Clinton on the letterhead. Hillary was also the first woman to be appointed to the board of Walmart... where she did absolutely nothing to help other women. She stopped working as an attorney in 1991, then took on a task her husband assigned her, such as health care. She screwed that up in almost Bushian style. She was elected to the Senate because she and Clinton chose a state where a Democrat with high name recognition would do well.

Talk about someone coming in at the last hour and claiming all the credit! It makes me sick to hear feminists praising Hillary when there are many women politicians who fought their way up the hard way and don't get a tenth of the attention as a woman who can claim she's met many world leaders simply because they had an appointment with her husband and she tagged along and had tea with their wives. I wouldn't be delighted with a President Palin, but I would respect her for getting there the same way a man would.

Love the cartoon!

I do think, however, that there would be a psychological benefit to have a woman - any woman - elected as president or vice president. Same for a person of color. I think it would make some people sit up and think "oh, hey look, they can do it!"

On the other hand, it only really helps once - i.e., some people doubtless had their thinking affected by the first woman fortune 500 CEO, but the effect diminished with those following - and the glass ceiling remains largely unchanged. Every little bit helps, though.

Ann =

Those were supposed to be lots of hearts. I was trying to express my approval and admiration for Ann's writing.

"but I would respect her for getting there the same way a man would."

LOLOLOLOL! Getting picked sight unseen as a token switcheroo to pick up votes the party feels are vulnerable?!

I'd like for someone to name ONE VP candidate that has been as patently unqualified as Sarah Palin. To use AvidOne's turn of phrase, she's just there to be the woman on the posters. It's almost sad-- sure, she is on the verge of riding misogyny's coattails into the White House, but she's being totally humiliated along the way. Just wait for the VP debates, it's inevitably going to be a bloodbath, which will only reinforce the idea that women are just not suited to national public office.

As to the cartoon, I think it's brilliant. I did my 3rd grade poly-sci talk through of "what do you see in this picture" and my immediate answer wasn't that the glass ceiling was broken, it was that Palin had been plucked and placed on top of it, while Clinton had to struggle from the ground (which I guess is only semi-accurate in terms of privilege). To top it off, the weight of Sarah Palin on the roof (cum bandying that "plain ol' hockey moms who want it bad enough" can make it, and "you don't have to be one of those withered feminist hags to be in power") weighs down even more on us now... I guess it's in the eye of the beholder

I’d like to think about this a little more.

First: the issue with the glass ceiling. I’d like to make an observation about the types of positions that the ceiling is referring to. Referring to positions with a lot of power, I think a lot of the abilities needed to perform in those positions are soft-skills. Some of these are: the ability to influence and motivate people, persuade people, and handle inter-personal issues and stress with aggressiveness. If you look at a programmer/scientist type, they may be really intelligent and experienced with technical issues, but that person is not going to advance upward without the soft-skills.

I think the glass ceiling referring to advancement into positions of power is due to the belief that women don’t possess these qualities adequately enough to do the job as well as a man. The soft skills, I think, are most often possessed by people with “presence.” I don’t really know how else to describe it. A tall, beautiful person wearing nice clothing possesses it just by looking the way they do. A less beautiful person obtains it by developing the confidence and demeanor needed to illicit confidence toward their abilities and inspire a certain amount of fear. I think as our cultural socialization of women changes and they develop the kind of qualities needed to possess these soft skills, they will advance. I also think that as opinions toward women change, women will be able to obtain this “presence” more easily and be recognized for their potential in advanced positions.

As far as cultural background and privilege, I think it has a huge effect on the outcome of a person’s life. People who come from successful families tend to be socialized in ways which will lead to success later in life. There are so many principals that aren’t learned in school or through media which are vital to being successful. I think people whose parents have degrees are more likely to be taught the value of education and more willing to work harder for it. I think people who come from wealthy families are more likely to be taught to have higher self-esteem, inter-personal skills, and just plain life skills (like when to get married, when to have kids, how to date people, etc.) When you possess these qualities, I think you tend to pass them down through generations. I guess success begets success. The key issue here is that a person who comes from a less privileged background shouldn’t be denied any opportunities solely because of that background and should be judged on their abilities. My point is that people who come from successful families are more likely to possess the right abilities because of their upbringing. They do probably have it much easier however when it comes to having the right contacts.

I agree with the author in that I believe that it is impossible for one woman to shatter the glass ceiling, it needs to be accomplished by the multitudes of women fighting for their rights that allow them to advance in society. Hilary said 18 million cracks are now in the glass ceiling and Palin thinks that she is part of that but how could someone who does not even believe in feminist values think that she has helped women in this situation? Even if she becomes vice president I don't see much change in the future.