Breaking the Glass Ceiling | Erika Buhler | TEDxYouth@Edmonton

Her TEDx talk will focus on the big question of how we can break through the Glass Ceiling; an unseen barrier that keeps women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of qualifications or achievements, and what we can do in order to make this struggle easier.

Erika Buhler, a grade twelve student at St.Joseph's High school, is part of the Jean Forest All Girls Leadership Academy. A proud feminist and the secretary of the school's Student Union, she volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters throughout the school year and with the City of Edmonton's Leaders in Training program during the summer. Erika is part of the school's Student Public Relations team and part of the Grad Committee.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Hashtag goals.

What was the first thing
that came to

mind when you heard me
say this?

Was it Kylie Jenner's lips?

Eyebrows on fleek?

Or did you just ask
yourself

Why'd she just say

hashtag goals then pause?

Who gave her the mike?

What is she doing?

But did you ever stop and think

what really are my goals?

and how can I achieve them?

Well for many of us

graduating

maybe just passing english
[indiscernible]

at this point

going to university

getting that dream job

may have been
the first thing

that came to mind

when you heard me say

hashtag goals.

But how often do you consider the barriers

that make achieving these goals

way more difficult

and the fact that some of these barriers

only apply to you

because of your gender.

Well, there's a term called

the Glass Ceiling or
the Glass wall

or the Glass Barrier,
whatever you

want to call it

it's a term used to describe

that unseen barrier that prevents you from

achieving your goals just because of your

gender regardless of any qualifications

or achievements you may have.

So whether that's trying to get a certain

position at work

or the wage gap between
men and women

for equal work or even just

gender stereotyping people on their

work roles and abilities.

But I can tell you first-hand

how discouraging

facing a wall like this can be to

girls trying to achieve their goals.

I'd like to compare this

to walking up a flight of stairs

and at every level you're blocked

by a transparent wall.

You can see beyond this wall

because your goal is set

to get to the very top of the stairs

but you just can't get past it.

Well how do you do that?

Well let me share a situation that

actually happened to me.

A wall I once faced

was being discriminated against

because of my gender.

So last year my school academy and I

said we'd do a bunch of projects

around Edmonton

we'd go and present

at different establishments

to young female students

how girls and boys are portrayed

in media

how damaging this image can be.

So we'd go out in our academy uniform

and we'd do these presentations

but between one of the presentations

three of my classmates and me

were pulled to the side and asked to leave

the establishment we were presenting at

because our uniform academy skirts

didn't respect their dress code.

Mind you, they respected our

dress code which was past the fingertips.

I was blocked from achieving my

goal that day.

This was the first instance
where I really

saw how young girls can be

prevented from achieving their goals

just because of their gender.

Instead of teaching young girls about

being discriminated against because of

their gender

which is what I was doing with my academy

I was actually experiencing it.

I was made to feel guilty

for doing something

or in this case wearing something

that was completely appropriate.

My Glass Wall was in front of me

and I felt pretty terrible.

I felt afraid to wear my uniform again

even if it was something

that I was proud to wear

because to me

my uniform symbolises

being a part of change

and having a voice

and feeling empowered

yet

I felt none of those things.

But how did I get back to
feeling all

those things again?

Well I was fortunate enough

to have my friends and teachers

that were there on the spot and after

when that happened

to help support me

and acknowledge that it wasn't my fault

and that I was ok

and this all really made sense to me

because my Glass Wall was shattered

with the help of other people

because a Glass Ceiling

is something that needs teamwork

but as cliché as it sounds

the glory in life is that

you learn from your past experiences

and you have no regrets

but when you see that Glass Ceiling

that Glass Wall

that barrier in front of you

and you wonder how on earth

you're gonna break through it

take a look at the broken
pieces of glass

on the ground around you and behind you

and let those broken pieces of glass

give you the strength

to break through that barrier

in front of you

because you've realised

you've already done it before

and you can do it again

and the good thing about these kinds of

barriers is that they become
easier to break

when you realise there are other people

trying to break it with you.

When we realise we're all trying to break

the exact same glass

and this is why we need to start

working together now.

Because by working together now

we make this process easier

for generations to come

just like generations

that have passed before us

like our mothers

even inspiring women like Malala

who fought for change just so that girls

can have an education.

These women fought together to make the

struggle easier for us

by fighting for our right to vote

by taking most of the hits

and punches in the workplace

just so we can experience

less discrimination.

They have shown us that we need to instill

leadership among young girls now

because when we give them these

amazing leadership skills

and we teach them to work together

and to be aware of gender issues

both male and female

and to instill self-worth

we give them the ability to break through

any Glass Ceiling

any barrier they face

and this will allow them

and give them the ability

to achieve their goals.

So I'm going to leave you

with one question

What does hashtag goals mean to you?

Thank you.