Women aren't just hitting the 'glass ceiling', they're stumbling on 'broken rungs'

The gender pay gap and the dearth of women in top-level jobs has long been blamed on the "glass ceiling" — an invisible, systemic barrier that prevents them from being promoted. But a new report suggests that women are stumbling on "broken rungs" at the start of their careers, not just when trying to progress to senior roles.

Women in the corporate world have made gains in the last few years. Although the pay gap still exists, it has narrowed among executives.

But women only run 5.8% of companies on Fortune’s Global 500 list. In part, this is because fewer advance to manager and director levels before heading into senior roles, according to a 2023 report from Lean In and McKinsey.

In fact, the biggest hurdle to advancement begins further down the career ladder. Only 87 women — and 73 women of colour — are promoted for every 100 men to managerial positions.

Why are women stumbling on "broken rungs"?

Systemic bias is the key reason women are prevented from getting the same opportunities to advance.

Because of the gender disparity in early promotions, men end up holding 60% of manager-level positions in a typical company, while women occupy 40%. And because men outnumber women, there are fewer women to promote to senior managers, and the number of women decreases at every subsequent level.

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A lack of flexibility is another problem. Despite flexible or home-working becoming more widespread, many organisations are back-tracking on flexible working promises they made during the COVID-19 pandemic — and it’s holding women back.

Flexible working reduces the impact of the motherhood penalty — the disadvantages women face after having children such as lower salaries or being forced out of the workplace entirely — by supporting people to balance their work and caring responsibilities.

Because women still carry out a disproportionate amount of childcare and household work, 38% of mothers with young children say that without workplace flexibility, they would have had to leave their company or reduce their work hours.

And working parents aren't the only ones to benefit from flexible or remote working, either. When women work remotely, they face fewer microaggressions — a problem that can lead to burnout — and have higher levels of psychological safety.

Another obstacle that women face early on in their careers is that not enough emphasis is placed on the importance of network-building, says Emma Maslen, a careers expert, CEO of sales consultancy Inspir’em and author of The Personal Board of You Inc.

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“Too often networking is left to chance and networking skills are not taught, so women might not know how to navigate career conversations,” she says. “Women often have many priorities to juggle and find it difficult to find time to put themselves out there.

“Organisations should be actively seeking to promote the management opportunities for women, and ensure they are accessible, whilst empowering women with the confidence and skills to actively seek out the opportunities and promote themselves as the best fit for these roles.”

“If there is a lack of emphasis on networking, there is a real danger they will miss out on potential opportunities or will lack the confidence to put themselves forward for roles.”

What can employers do to address this problem?

There are several steps employers can take to improve outcomes for women. From a policy standpoint, pay transparency is essential.

Openly sharing compensation information means that companies can’t easily explain away a gender pay gap for roles of equal or comparable value. It also helps to create a culture of trust, too.

Supporting women to be managers is also key, for example, by investing in employees and providing mentors and sponsors.

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Mentors are people who take the time to help you navigate the working world, which can mean offering decision-making advice. A sponsor plays a more tangible role in the workplace, pushing you forward for promotions or pay rises and putting you forward for new positions. Essentially, a sponsor is willing to invest in your career, rather than just play the part of a role model.

Organisations also need to take immediate action to address problems that undermine women’s progress, like microaggressions. According to a study conducted by employee analytics platform Perceptyx, two-thirds of women report experiencing sexist behaviour at work occasionally — and 25% say they always experience offensive behaviour.

Finally, removing barriers to flexible work is essential.

For decades, professional women have struggled to manage their multiple personal and professional priorities in a world created before dual career families were the norm. Now, with the right technology and support, women have more opportunity to thrive and progress in their careers.

Watch: Why do we still have a gender pay gap?

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