You might be able to get through the glass ceiling but beware of the cliff
There is a common phenomenon in the professional world called the “glass ceiling.” This occurs when there is an invisible barrier that prevents women from moving up the corporate ladder and reaching their full potential. This can easily be seen in the small percentage of women who are a part of executive teams in the American workforce. Research by the U.S. Census Bureau found that even though women make up 47 percent of the American workforce, only 37 percent of female employees have executive roles. This is a well-known struggle for many females in the work environment, but a more recent phenomenon that has been gaining a lot of attention is called “the glass cliff.”
The “glass cliff” explains that women are sometimes moved into executive roles before the company fails. They can be used as the scapegoat for the company; this is harmful not only to the individual but also to the perception of female executives. This affects research on effective women in leadership and negatively skews the results against enhancing professional opportunities for women.
An example of the glass cliff was the career of Jill Soltau. She was hired as the first female CEO of JCPenny in 2018. The company was already having difficulties adapting to the new technological age and was forced to close many of its stores. Shortly after she was hired it was determined that the business would be forced to file for bankruptcy and with the COVID-19 pandemic JCPenny was forced to file for bankruptcy much earlier than expected. Soltau was asked to leave her position as CEO due to the failure of the business that started long before she was hired.
There are some ways to be aware and avoid possible glass cliff positions. A good way to ensure you are not put in this position is by building a trusted network; make sure that you include a diverse group of professionals that you know have your best interests in mind. This network can mentor you and put you in positions that will be successful for you. It is also important to be mindful of this phenomenon. When accepting a position it is important to think about the reason why the position is open and the external factors that will impact this job in the future.
To eliminate this issue altogether, many societal changes need to take place. Stereotypes and structural barriers will need to be removed to give women the executive opportunities they deserve. This idea enforces inaccurate confirmation bias, due to women getting promoted and then having unsuccessful outcomes. There needs to be a change in the minds of professionals that women are as competent in executive positions as their male counterparts. To help move this societal change, lots of recent research grading women’s leadership skills has been completed. This research has come back quite supportive of women in executive roles, especially during times of crisis. Women are found to have specific favorable traits such as strong collaboration skills and integrity. More research and successful women leadership examples are a key part of changing the public narrative about women in leadership positions.
The “glass cliff” is just another barrier that professional women face in the workplace. It is discouraging that even if you are able to break through the glass ceiling there is a possibility you were just put on a cliff. This is an important concept for women to know about to ensure that they are being put in a respectable professional position.