Glass Ceiling vs. Glass Cliff: Why Leadership Can Feel Like a Trap for Women

The glass cliff and glass ceiling are two separate but related ideas that women and other members of an underrepresented workforce have to contend with. The terms “glass ceiling” and “glass cliff” describe women’s challenges in assuming and holding leadership roles, although they focus on different aspects of gender inequality in the workplace. The term “glass ceiling” refers to an invisible barrier to job growth and development. In contrast, the “glass cliff” refers to risky leadership opportunities offered to women more frequently than men in times of crisis. 

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Glass Ceiling 

The glass ceiling is a figurative term, mostly hidden and deliberately put in place, that prevents women and minorities from reaching the most coveted leadership positions in any organization, despite their merit and achievement. It has its roots in organizational bias, societal norms, and practice discrimination. The term was introduced by Marilyn Loden in 1978, and it gained popularity in the 1980s  to describe gender disparities in the workplace. 

Key Features of Glass Ceiling 

• Lack of resources and Mentorship: There are poor resources and mentorship for women. 
• Sexism and Stereotyping: Biases about women’s potential and roles are very likely to prevent their advancement and create hurdles. 
• Unconscious bias: There are cases where men receive more preferences in hiring and promotion policies than women who have the same qualifications. 
• Flexibility of Working Environment: The kind of flexibility women would need to work and maintain both professional as well as personal lives together is not possible in the working environment. 

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Examples of the Glass Ceiling

Gender bias prevents a skilled woman from being promoted to an executive position. Though qualified, women are relatively fewer in CEOs and executive ranks. According to recent estimates, for instance, women are below 10% of Fortune 500 CEO ranks. There is a massive gap in gender in the technology industry leadership positions. At  Google and Apple, a majority of the executive posts are held by men. 

Glass Cliff  

Researchers Michelle K. Ryan and Alexander Haslam coined the term the glass cliff in 2005. The study concluded that women are overrepresented in crisis leadership positions, thus raising their chances of failure. The glass cliff is the precarious position of women’s leadership appointments during crisis periods in organizations. It is the opposite of the glass ceiling where women are not promoted, while in the glass cliff, there is a high probability of failure, making their leadership duration unstable and risky. 

Key Features of Glass Cliff  

• Support and Resources: There would be a lack of support and resources for women within such roles. 
• Crisis Leadership: Women are promoted to lead organizations in times of financial crises, restructuring, or poor performance. 
• The Blame Game: As soon as women are unsuccessful in resolving the crisis they blame them for being gender and having capabilities rather than circumstances. 
• High-Risk Roles: Women are assigned the role of managing financial instability, restructuring, or other similar issues without adequate support and resources. 

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Why Women Are Appointed During Crises

• Illusion of Diversity: Women are used in crisis, and there is an appearance that the organization is liberal. 
• Blame the female: It could scapegoat the females, not solving the issues of the system which causes problems for a more extensive period. 
• Reputation Management: Organizations use women to appear progressive, and when things go wrong, the female is blamed, not the system. 
• Status Quo Bias: Male dominance is not changed when stability is inevitable; women are only brought into the scene when change is inevitable in high-risk roles.

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Examples of the Glass Cliff 

• Jill Abramson (The New York Times): Elevated as editor in 2011 when things were thrown into turmoil, and then dumped in 2014 as she was trying to restore order. 
• Lucent Technologies: Patricia Russo was advanced to the position of CEO in 2002.  The corporation had a poor performance history, and she was dismissed afterwards. 
• Yahoo: In 2012, Marissa Mayer was appointed as Yahoo’s new CEO following the loss of most of its market share. That didn’t work for her either, and she didn’t fare well with the severe criticism that she experienced during her tenure. 

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Major Differences 

• Opportunities: The glass ceiling is the lack of opportunity for women to rise. The glass cliff is that the opportunities given to women are difficult and uncertain.
• Career Impact Stage: The glass ceiling hits women while trying to reach leadership positions. The glass cliff hits women after succeeding in attaining the leadership position.
• Timing: The glass ceiling bars promotion before one achieves the leadership position. The glass cliff occurs once women have broken through the glass ceiling but an insecure  role 
• Nature: The Glass Ceiling is an invisible wall women encounter on their journey toward the top. In Glass Cliff Women are accorded a precarious, high-risk opportunity to succeed only.

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Overcoming These Barriers 

Organizations can reduce the impact of both the glass ceiling and the glass cliff by using the  following strategies 

• Mentoring and Sponsorship: women’s leadership support networks
• Balanced Hiring and Promotion Policies: Mitigating Unconscious Bias 
• Enough Resources: Provide needed resources to women in leadership to let them  succeed 
• Inclusive Programs for Leadership Development: Educate them in crisis management, strategic planning, and communications 

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Conclusion 

The glass ceiling bars opportunities, but the glass cliff places women in vulnerable and dangerous situations with a relatively high risk of failure. The elimination of both is very much a requirement towards the workplace which will have much more a fairer and more wholesome nature.