I think that "glass ceiling" is a metaphor that mixes poorly with the concept of a "corporate ladder."  I understand what it means to convey, that the obstacles keeping women from advancing in the business word may be difficult to see, but when I hear discussion of it this is what I think of:
A woman in a skirt suit is climbing up a ladder, in a sort of science fiction biodome with a grassy field beneath her.  As she climbs, the ladder seems less and less sturdy and the green below shrinks away.  Suddenly her head hits something and she has to scramble to keep hold of the ladder.  Clinging to it with her arms wrapped around the rungs, she looks up at the inhibiting glass above her, the sun above making her squint as she examines it.  She looks down at the ladder, descending an impossibly long distance to the ground.

The comparison fell apart a while ago-- what person really wants to be that far up a ladder?  And how about breaking the ceiling?  Dangerous, to say the least.  I suppose both phrases work just swell in context, and I'm certainly not equipped to replace them, I mostly just wish newscasters wouldn't get so wrapped up in their jargon.