The phrase "when a woman ascends the stairs" primarily refers to the 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse, titled "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs." The title literally denotes the protagonist, Keiko, a bar hostess, climbing the stairs each night to the bar where she works—a place she dreads for the difficult and complex social challenges she faces there. The stairs symbolize both the literal journey Keiko makes and a metaphor for her Sisyphean struggle to get ahead in life against financial and societal pressures. The film depicts her nightly ritual of climbing the stairs to entertain customers in a Tokyo bar in the Ginza district, where she tries to maintain her dignity and independence despite the harshness of her occupation and the compromises she must consider. The stairs convey her perseverance and the repetitive, exhausting nature of her life, like being on a vertical treadmill. This phrase has become a cinematic allusion to the challenges faced by modern women caught between traditional values and a materialistic society. Thus, "when a woman ascends the stairs" captures the literal and symbolic act of a woman entering a demanding world, carrying the weight of societal expectations, personal struggles, and the attempt to maintain self-respect while navigating a restrictive social environment.