Specific Purpose: After listening to my speech, the audience will be able to understand the history of the Glass ceiling, what the Glass Ceiling is, how the Glass Ceiling’s existence is ignored by some, and the ideas there are for cracking the Glass Ceiling.
Thesis: Women have encountered barriers that block them from climbing the corporate ladder since the beginning of time, and some Americans ignore this ceiling while others come up with ideas to shatter it.
INTRODUCTION:
I. Attention Getter: When the Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963, a woman made 59 cents for every dollar made by a man. Since then, the wage gap has narrowed by a little less than half a cent each year. If it continues to decrease at this rate, women will not earn an equal pay to men until 2059. The difference in wage adds up to a loss of 1.2…show more content… Preview of main points: History of the Glass Ceiling, Barriers in the Glass Ceiling, Ignoring the Glass Ceiling, and Ideas for shattering the Glass Ceiling.
BODY:
A. History of the Glass Ceiling
1. The phrase “the Glass Ceiling” was first popularized in 1986 in an article in the Wall Street Journal’s “Corporate Woman” column (Reich).
2. The article explained the metaphorical barriers women combat as they climb the corporate ladder, which is disguised like glass and impermeable like a ceiling (Reich).
3. Once the spotlight shone on the Glass Ceiling, the U.S. Congress got involved by establishing the Glass Ceiling Commission to study the walls that blocked women from advancing to executive positions in corporate America and figure out solutions to eliminate them (Reich).
Transition: Once the phrase “the Glass Ceiling” became commonly known, extensive research looked to describe the specific barriers that make up the Glass Ceiling.
B. The barriers that the Glass Ceiling consists of
1. The Glass Ceiling Commission discovered societal, structural, and governmental barriers all blocked women and minorities from reaching top management positions