The is the term for unstated, but real, barriers within an organization that prevent women from being promoted beyond a certain level because of gender discrimination.

Glass ceiling

Explanation:

In gender studies, the glass ceiling is a term that refers to the existence of invisible, but real barriers within an organization that prevent women from being promoted beyond a certain level because of gender discrimination.

Apart from women being virtually barred from reaching the highest echelons within an organization, the existence of the glass ceiling can be seen in several different situations: as discrimination when applying for a job, where male applicants are preferred over female applicants, even when having equivalent qualifications; in the form a gender pay gap, where men usually earn higher wages than women when performing the exact same job; and also, as a situation deemed the glass escalator, where men are promoted over women even by virtue of being men, which in other words is the reverse of the glass ceiling.