This was far from a coincidence.
The term gained greater ground in the 1980s, a decade that saw women entering the workforce en masse.
Theyre in the top of middle management, and theyre stopping and getting stuck.
Photo illustration byVogue. Ted Soqui/Sipa USA via AP; Adobe Stock
Forty-six years later, more and more occupational minorities are breaking through the glass ceiling.
Women of color make up 6%.)
The glass cliff is a metaphor for what happens next.
Former British prime minister Theresa May
What is the glass cliff?
What is the history of the phraseglass cliff?
University of Exeter psychology professors Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam came up with the termglass cliff.
Boeing’s Stephanie Pope
Looking into the data theTimescited, however, she found flaws.
Mainly: They hadnt looked atwhenthose women were being appointed.
So Ryan and Haslam did.
X’s Linda Yaccarino
The two found that more often than not, women were asked to join boards when companies werealreadyperforming poorly.
Whyare women given leadership positions in uncertain situations?
Stephen J. Dubner, host of theFreakonomicspodcast, offered two different theories.
If you wanted to get Jungian, you might look at this as one big mother complex.
But when things are going along okay, ehDadll do, he said in that episode.
Which leaves more openings at troubled companies for women.
Is there any empirical data to support the glass-cliff theory?
What are some real-life examples of the glass cliff?
(Indeed, the election of Thatcherwho entered office just after the Winter of Discontentwas arguably another example.)
These two examples are important because both women were exceptionally qualified for the jobs, Glass says.
However, they were only given the opportunity when the companies were already in crisis.
What does the glass cliff have to do with Kamala Harris?
Does being on a glass cliff always result in a negative outcome?
A glass cliff is, yes, synonymous with a difficult situation.
But it does not mean failure is a fait accompli.
Several of them were leaders of some of Americas largest companies.
All of them were the first in their demographic to be appointed to such a role.
To counter those negative stereotypes, they chose a high-risk career path.
So by the time they were appointed CEO, they had spent a career leading through the crisis.
Glass calls this a risk tax.
Those who paid it, she found, developed an unparalleled and specialized skill set.
Glass-cliff appointees are exceptional.
