The glass cliff in politics and the public sector

Why politics is a natural test case

Politics makes precariousness visible. Seats are safe or marginal, parties are winning or losing, and leadership contests often follow defeats. That makes it easier to see who is offered the hardest positions, which is why politics was one of the first areas researchers examined after the original business studies.

Hard-to-win seats

Michelle Ryan, Alex Haslam and Clara Kulich studied candidates in the 2005 UK general election. Women standing for the Conservative Party were more likely to contest seats that were harder to win, measured by the margin the party needed to overturn. Because the seats were harder, women candidates were less likely to be elected, and a simple reading of the results could wrongly suggest voters preferred men.

The authors also ran an experiment: participants asked to choose a candidate for a hard-to-win seat were more likely to choose a woman. Later work has found that parties' equality measures have not fully removed this pattern.

Leadership after defeat

Party leaders are often chosen immediately after an election loss or during internal turmoil, and commentators frequently describe the first women to lead particular parties or governments in glass cliff terms. We do not label individual politicians as glass cliff cases. What the research supports is a general point: a leader appointed after a defeat inherits a weaker position, and judging them as if they started from strength is unfair and misleading.

The 2020 meta-analysis found that real-world evidence for the glass cliff was stronger in some domains than others, with politics among the domains where the pattern appeared more clearly than in corporate management.

Senior public servants

Meghna Sabharwal's 2015 study of the US Senior Executive Service found that women executives reported lower organisational support and less ability to exercise authority than men. Public-sector leaders are often appointed to fix failing services, with tight budgets and intense scrutiny, which creates many of the same conditions as a corporate glass cliff.

Protections for public roles

• A clear remit in writing from the appointing body or minister.
• An honest public account of the condition of the service or organisation on arrival.
• A realistic timeline that recognises budget cycles and statutory processes.
• Communications and security support, given the level of public and online scrutiny.
• A sponsor with the standing to defend the agreed plan.

The Offer Protection Builder includes options specifically for elected and public-sector roles.

Questions

Is there evidence of the glass cliff in elections?

Yes. Research on the 2005 UK general election found women Conservative candidates were more likely to contest hard-to-win seats.

Are women party leaders more often chosen after defeats?

It is a common observation and fits the research pattern, but appointments are complex and we do not label individuals as glass cliff cases.

Does the glass cliff apply to civil servants?

Research on the US Senior Executive Service found women reported less support and agency, consistent with glass cliff conditions.

Sources and further reading

1. Ryan, M. K., Haslam, S. A., & Kulich, C. (2010). Politics and the glass cliff. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34(1), 56–64. Find the paper
2. Sabharwal, M. (2015). From glass ceiling to glass cliff: Women in senior executive service. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 25(2). Find the paper
3. Morgenroth, T., et al. (2020). Psychological Bulletin, 146(9), 797–829. Link
4. HR Leader (2025): Michelle Ryan on the glass cliff at Women Unlimited. Link

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