Bamboo ceiling

[Benjamin Barrett]

According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_ceiling), this term--meaning glass ceiling applied to Asians--was coined in "Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians" which was published in 2005, according to the copyright page (http://amzn.to/1fH4y5O).

In "Japanese Companies in the United States: Discrimination Against U. S. Citizens," however, David E. Jio (PDF: http://bit.ly/1gHcYxR) says in 1992 that experts were already using the term:

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In addition, authority and promotional dis crimination are being complained by high level executives. They climb the corporate ladder only to be stopped by a "glass ceiling," limiting them on how high they can be promoted and on what decision making process they can be involved in. Or the American executive would be given little or no authority to make decisions normally within his authority in an American company. Some experts are calling this "bamboo ceiling."
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Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA

Learn Ainu! https://sites.google.com/site/aynuitak1/videos

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org