Glass cliff is a myth: Study

It may come as cold comfort to embattled female leaders but researchers said the claim women are often appointed to clean up messes created by men is a “myth.” Data from dozens of leading German and British companies gave no evidence for the so-called ‘glass cliff’ – a theory suggesting women are often only brought into senior positions at times of crisis when the risk of failure is higher.

However, the glass ceiling was still a problem for many women seeking senior positions, said the researchers in a paper for The Leadership Quarterly. “We definitely hope that our research contributes to debunking this,” lead author Myriam Bechtoldt told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“To a certain extent it’s good news because you don’t need to be afraid to accept a promotion ... But the negative finding is there is just a tiny percentage of women who are promoted.” Women are still under-represented in senior positions at companies and in public life. Some have suggested women face multiple forms of subtle discrimination, not limited to the idea of a ‘glass ceiling’ where they find progress blocked at higher levels.

The idea of the “glass cliff” came about in the early 2000s. An analysis of nearly 250 leading firms in Britain and Germany which tracked the performance of companies against senior appointments found no evidence that women were more likely to be promoted to top jobs in times of turbulence. Researchers concluded the glass cliff “seems to be more of a myth than a real phenomenon” in the corporate world. — Reuters