Glass Cliff Definition: How the Glass Cliff Affects Women CEOs

The glass cliff is a phenomenon female CEOs, politicians, and other leaders face wherein someone or some group selects them for a position of power only at a time of extreme crisis (i.e., a pandemic, recession, or period of bad quarterly performance). In these situations, the women find themselves set up for a higher degree of failure than their male counterparts since the latter are less likely to take or receive offers in such risky situations.

Critics dispute whether the glass cliff exists in enough scenarios to warrant status as a widespread phenomenon. They point to the success of women CEOs who assumed power during a crisis, corrected a company’s course, and still occupy their leadership position to this day (e.g., Mary Barra of General Motors), as opposed to the ousting of women CEOs who were unable to change a business’ direction (e.g., Marissa Mayer of Yahoo!). Still, enough evidence exists to suggest the phenomenon happens with at least some degree of regularity.

University of Exeter academics S. Alexander Haslam and Michelle K. Ryan first coined the term “glass cliff.” They did so after studying the rate at which companies on the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, or FTSE 100 (the top businesses of the London Stock Exchange), hired female versus male candidates in times of crisis. They found badly performing or failing companies were more likely to hire women CEOs than businesses in good financial status.

Since then, additional research has confirmed similar dynamics at play within academia, among Fortune 500 companies, and in national governments. Additionally, Utah State University researchers Alison Cook and Christy Glass have found women, as well as underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, are more willing to take these offers since they feel it’s unlikely a better opportunity will present itself.

The glass cliff idea borrows and mirrors that of the glass ceiling, and both concepts can intertwine in various ways. A glass cliff presents itself when a company offers a woman a precarious leadership position, either intentionally or incidentally setting the woman up for failure. Breaking through a glass ceiling refers to when the first woman to assume a leadership role does so.

The terms refer to different things but are not mutually exclusive—a woman CEO could break through a glass ceiling only to then fall off a glass cliff. Both concepts can refer to the barriers and obstacles people of color and other marginalized groups face.

There are many potential reasons for the glass cliff phenomenon. Here are just three to consider:

1. 1. Adverse circumstances: When female leaders fall off a glass cliff, it’s almost always because they inherited a situation anyone would have found extremely difficult to handle. A company might pass over their usual candidate pool of white men for a position like this because of either conscious or unconscious sexism.
2. 2. Stereotyping: When decision-makers on a board or within a C-suite decide to promote a woman leader to steer them through a precarious situation, they might do so with unhelpful and problematic gender stereotypes in mind. They might feel they can set up a woman to be the “fall person” for an organization’s trouble more easily than they could with a man.
3. 3. Unscrupulous hiring staff: Some board members might secretly hope to preserve the status quo and ensure it remains more likely for companies to hire male candidates as leaders. To do so, they might deliberately select women leaders only when they feel certain they will fail.

So long as you keep your eyes peeled, you can do your best to avoid glass cliffs. Keep these tips in mind to steer clear of these traps and pursue empowering opportunities instead:

• Advocate for societal change. Part of the reason glass cliffs are so prevalent is the lack of gender equality in the world as a whole. Harmful stereotypes and structural barriers still exist for all women hoping to make an impact and lead, particularly for women of color. When you advocate for societal change, you pave the way to dismantle these sorts of problematic systems.
• Be mindful of predatory employment opportunities. Whenever a business presents you with a tantalizing offer, eyeball their company performance over the last few months. If they seem to be on the precipice of failure already, remain mindful they might not give you all the resources you need for your success in correcting their course.
• Network with proven allies. As you seek out leadership roles, build a reliable network of mentors and allies. While this group can obviously include white men, make sure to expand the group to white women and people of color, too. This helps build a more inclusive workforce and lays the groundwork for more diverse leadership from the ground up.
• Seek out resources for success. When you assume a leadership position, mitigate your risk of failure by seeking out any necessary resources you might need for your success. The situations women leaders face might be more difficult when they’re staring down a glass cliff, but with the right tools, success is always possible.

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