Glass Cliff Explained

What is it and why is it important for women?

Coined by British professors Michelle K. Ryan and Alexander Haslam of the University of Exeter, glass cliff describes a situation where women and people of colour are more likely to be promoted to break the “glass ceiling” into leadership roles during crises, making their positions more unstable and high-risk. 

Supporting research also suggests that white women and people of colour are more likely than white men to be promoted to top roles in poorly performing companies. 

Main Underlying Causes: 

Due to the Think Management- Think Male mindset, decision-makers may associate traditional leadership with seemingly masculine traits, making men the default choice for managerial roles. Additionally, the Think Crisis- Think Female belief will have employers opting for stereotypically feminine traits such as nurturing, empathy, and collaboration during crises, leading them to appoint more women into leadership positions in direr cases. The disproportionate promotion of women to leadership during times of crisis, makes them more vulnerable to failure, resulting in a false association between women leadership lower success rate. 

Companies may also choose women or people of colour to signal change or reform, leveraging their visible difference without genuine belief in their leadership capabilities, sometimes using them to take the fall. 

Challenges Faced by Women in Glass Cliff Positions: 

• Women promoted in crisis situations often lack resources and authority necessary to succeed. 

• Women of colour face heightened scrutiny, additional barriers, and may receive disproportionate blame if challenges persist. 

• Black women have reported to encounter compounded discrimination (misogynoir) based on both gender and race, leading to stereotyping and questioning of their competence. McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report highlights that black women leaders face more ambitious scrutiny and demeaning behaviour. 

• The lack of support and high scrutiny overall would increase stress, burnout, and even hinder career mobility. 

• Relational Crises (such as internal conflicts or team cohesion issues) see a preference for leaders with stereotypically feminine traits such as collaboration and empathy.  

• Financial Crises (like revenue loss or economic downturns) more often favour leaders with masculine traits such as decisiveness and competitiveness. 

• Glass cliffs are more prevalent in cultures with greater gender inequality, such as the UK and the US, compared to more gender-equal countries like Switzerland and Germany. 

• Glass cliff roles often come with a "risk tax" that underrepresented leaders must continuously pay, risking repeated high-stress assignments without guaranteed career stability. 

• Minority leaders may feel responsible for future candidates of similar backgrounds, fearing that failure could reinforce negative stereotypes.