What is the glass cliff? Why women in power are undermined and how to fight back
You may have heard the phrase used recently in relation to Kamala Harris, but what exactly is 'the glass cliff'? Sophie Williams, author of The Glass Cliff, about this very issue, explains.
As Kamala Harris accepts the Democratic nomination for President, news outlets from Vogue and The Cut, to Fast Company and Forbes, are increasingly exploring the looming threat of the glass cliff as perhaps the first, and largest, of the obstacles she’s likely to face in her bid to become the first female leader of the United States.
As the New York Times also this month featured the glass cliff phenomenon in their Shop Talk feature – a regular column in their Sunday Business section, which aims to explain the newest, and most important, trends and terms in business to their readers – it seems that the glass cliff is having something of a moment.
But what exactly is the glass cliff phenomenon, and how does it impact female leaders at all levels? Here's everything you need to know.
What is the glass cliff?
The glass cliff phenomenon, identified by researchers Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam, articulates how under-represented leaders, especially women, are often placed in precarious leadership roles during organizational crises, effectively setting them up for a higher chance of failure. This setup reflects societal biases where women in leadership positions face intensified scrutiny and less structural support compared to men, making their roles even more challenging alongside stereotypical perceptions of them as more nurturing and suitable for managing already-existing crisis.
What is the difference between the glass cliff and the glass ceiling?
The glass ceiling has been a part of mainstream cultural conversation for decades, describing an invisible-but-seemingly-impossible-to-break-through inevitable barrier that sits above the heads of women in their working lives, as they try to fulfil their professional potentials.
In recent years however, we have witnessed a significant shift in our expectations of the workplace and how it should be built to include everyone. The conversation about the glass cliff is what happens when women break through the glass ceiling and out of the roles that have historically been assigned to them, only to find themselves in a precarious position due to factors outside of their control, such as a company’s performance history.
What is a real-life example of the glass cliff?
In 2016, Theresa May, a low-profile member of David Cameron’s cabinet, regarded as a professional and reliable member of the Conservative Party, became the UK’s second ever female Prime Minister. Stepping into the role without being elected, she had one clear and all-encompassing task – to lead Britain through Brexit and out of the European Union. Despite not proposing the Brexit referendum and having firmly campaigned on the Remain side of the debate, she was left to sort out the crisis that her predecessors had created and walked away from. She eventually resigned in 2019 after not being able to gain substantial support from her colleagues or demonstrate the right kind of strength as a female leader, both to her own party and the equally-divided country. As if to prove how little credit women are given when they’re brought in to handle a crisis, her successor, Boris Johnson, was able to successfully push through a Brexit plan that was derived from May’s – except it was empirically worse, and it took him far less time to do so.
How can we overcome the glass cliff?
The glass cliff is a cultural and social phenomenon that doesn’t exist everywhere in the world. It occurs most often in countries that rank low in gender equality scores, such as the UK and US. It has been created by us, and so there are things we can do to work towards breaking its cycle. To counteract the glass cliff, it’s crucial to highlight genuine feminine-leadership qualities like adaptability, promoting internally, and establishing gender quotas, such as the EU's ‘Women On Boards’ directive for 40% female board representation by 2026. Additionally, adapting workplaces to better meet the needs of women, such as single mothers, and to value meaningful work and flexibility, is essential for retaining female talent and appealing to younger generations' drive for societal change.
The Glass Cliff
by Sophie Williams
The Glass Cliff: a story of a structural inequality disguising itself as the personal failures of women. Have you ever wondered why there are so few success stories of women in business leadership? Or maybe you’ve wondered what life is really like on the other side of The Glass Ceiling? The world of work is supposedly changing, embracing diversity – yet are the opportunities we’re giving to women really equal to those of men? Drawing on almost twenty years of research from around the world, Sophie Williams explores The Glass Cliff phenomenon – whereby women are often only hired in leadership roles when a business is already underperforming, meaning their chances of success are limited before they ever even start.