Glass ceiling, glass cliff, glass escalator, broken rung: the terms explained
Six metaphors for barriers in leadership, what each one actually describes, and how they fit together.
In short
- Each metaphor describes a different point in a career: getting started, moving up, reaching the top, or surviving there.
- The glass ceiling blocks entry to the top; the glass cliff describes riskier roles at the top.
- The glass escalator describes men's faster rise in female-dominated fields; the broken rung describes the first step into management.
- Used together, they map where support is needed at each stage.
A map of career barriers
Leadership research has produced a family of metaphors, and they are often used interchangeably. They should not be. Each one points to a different moment in a career and suggests a different fix. Here they are in the order a career usually meets them.
The broken rung
Where: the first promotion from individual contributor to manager.
The "broken rung" was popularised by the McKinsey and Lean In Women in the Workplace research. It describes the finding that women are promoted to their first management role at a lower rate than men. Because so few make that first step, the pipeline to senior roles is thin long before anyone reaches a ceiling.
Fix: structured, criteria-based promotion decisions at the first level.
The sticky floor
Where: the bottom of the pay and grade structure.
The sticky floor describes people, disproportionately women and minorities, who stay in low-paid, low-mobility roles. It is the counterpart to the ceiling: the barrier at the bottom rather than the top.
The labyrinth
Where: the whole journey.
Alice Eagly and Linda Carli argued in 2007 that the ceiling metaphor is misleading because it implies a single barrier near the top. They proposed the labyrinth instead: a path with many detours and dead ends throughout a career, from hiring to development to family expectations.
The glass ceiling
Where: just below the top.
The best-known metaphor. The glass ceiling is the invisible barrier that stops qualified people from reaching the most senior positions. It was widely popularised in the 1980s and gave its name to the US Federal Glass Ceiling Commission in the 1990s.
Fix: transparent succession planning, sponsorship, and diverse shortlists for senior roles.
The glass escalator
Where: female-dominated professions.
Sociologist Christine Williams described the glass escalator in 1992: in fields such as nursing, teaching and social work, men are often promoted faster than the women around them. It shows that the barriers are about gender expectations of leadership, not about women being in the minority as such.
The glass cliff
Where: at the top, after the ceiling.
Coined by Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam in 2005, the glass cliff describes the tendency for women and other under-represented leaders to be appointed to senior roles in times of crisis, when the risk of failure is highest. It answers a question the ceiling metaphor leaves open: what happens to the people who get through? See our full guide, What is the glass cliff?
Fix: fair terms for crisis roles: an honest baseline, real authority and resources, time, and a sponsor. Our Board Appointment Check lists them.
At a glance
| Term | Career stage | Core idea | Coined or popularised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticky floor | Entry level | Stuck in low-mobility roles | 1990s research on pay and grades |
| Broken rung | First management step | Fewer first promotions | Women in the Workplace research |
| Labyrinth | Whole career | Many barriers, not one | Eagly and Carli, 2007 |
| Glass escalator | Female-dominated fields | Men promoted faster | Christine Williams, 1992 |
| Glass ceiling | Below the top | Invisible barrier to the top | 1980s, widely used since |
| Glass cliff | At the top | Riskier roles for atypical leaders | Ryan and Haslam, 2005 |
Why it helps to use them together
An organisation can fix one barrier and leave the others in place. A company that promotes a woman through its ceiling straight onto a cliff will see her fail and may draw the wrong conclusion. One that fixes its first-level promotions but not its senior succession will see the pipeline stall higher up. Mapping all six shows where support is missing.
For more definitions, see the Glasscliff glossary.
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Questions
Which came first, the glass ceiling or the glass cliff?
The glass ceiling. It was in wide use by the 1980s. The glass cliff was coined in 2005 to describe what happens to some leaders after they get through it.
Is the glass escalator the opposite of the glass ceiling?
In a sense. It describes men rising faster than women in female-dominated professions, which shows the barriers are tied to expectations about who leads.
What is the broken rung?
The finding that women are promoted to their first management role at a lower rate than men, which thins the pipeline long before senior levels.
Sources and further reading
- Ryan, M. K., & Haslam, S. A. (2005). British Journal of Management, 16(2), 81–90. Find the paper
- Williams, C. L. (1992). The glass escalator: Hidden advantages for men in the 'female' professions. Social Problems, 39(3), 253–267. Find the paper
- Women in the Workplace (McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org). Link
- Big Think: 'The glass ceiling is misleading' (video). Link
Read next
- What is the glass cliff? The complete guideWhere the term came from, what the evidence shows, why it happens, and what leaders and boards can do about it.
- Twenty years of glass cliff research: what the evidence says, and where it disagreesA plain-language tour of the key studies, the null findings, and what a careful reader should conclude.
- Is a crisis role a career accelerator? When to say yesCrisis roles can make careers as well as end them. A decision framework for the offer in front of you.