It's not the "glass ceiling" holding women back at work, new analysis finds

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

October 5, 2023 / 7:26 AM


The struggle women face landing senior leadership roles in corporate America is commonly blamed on the "glass ceiling" — the metaphorical gender barrier that blocked their ascent to the highest levels of management. Yet new research indicates that the problems for women in the workforce begin far lower down the professional ladder.

Women early in their careers are far more likely to stumble on a "broken rung," or failing to get a promotion out of their entry-level jobs at the same rate as men, according to a new study from consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and Lean In, the nonprofit started by former Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.

For every 100 male employees promoted from entry-level jobs to managerial roles, only 87 women received a similar promotion, according to the report. The broken rung is even harder to surmount for women of color, with only 73 receiving that first promotion for every 100 men who are moved up, the study found.

That failure to climb the ladder isn't due to lack of ambition, with the survey of 27,000 workers finding that women have the same goals for advancing their careers as men. But bias may play a role, with corporate leaders often promoting young male employees on their potential, while young women are judged more by their track records — a tougher standard when female workers are just starting in their careers.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/women-workforce-promotion-broken-rung-mckinsey-lean-in/

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Link to McKinsey study is here (PDF).

[brer cat]

1. K&R

[Martin68]

2. Interesting analysis. Rings very true. The ladder given to women has a missing rungs and other

obstacles all the way up.

[nocoincidences]

3. Is this not

just anther way of describing the "glass ceiling"?

Can someone explain to me how this is different from the glass ceiling?

Maybe I woke up too early, cranky, thick-headed grumble grumble

[CrispyQ]

8. The poster above you summed it this way:

The ladder given to women has a missing rungs and other obstacles all the way up.

This is a more accurate analogy, IMO but glass ceiling works.

[Captain Zero]

23. Glass Ceiling Easier to break if you can get to it.

Maybe that's a summary.

[imaginary girl]

11. Just a different metaphor for the same issue

The ladder reflects the impact sexism has throughout a person's career, while the glass ceiling implies it keeps women out of top jobs. Imo.

[DBoon]

13. women don't even reach the "glass ceiling"

they are stuck at the bottom

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Glass ceiling or broken rung, it's still

systematic discrimination against women. And persons of color.

[we can do it]

9. Renaming sad reality.

[justaprogressive]

10. An outhouse by any other name

would smell the same...

[Magoo48]

15. Yes indeed.

[2naSalit]

5. I would suggest...

That "all of the above" would be more of a realistic finding. It's the same as racism in that way, always lurking beneath the surface where somehow only those who are privileged can't see it... or choose not to see it.

[Lonestarblue]

6. I believe there may be an innate bias against women by decisions makers who assume that men

need to be promoted because they are supporting families while women are just secondary earners looking to supplement a husband’s income. Many years ago I worked in such an organization, and I had hoped that such thinking was long dead, but that may not be so, especially in businesses where patriarchal men hold sway.

[GregariousGroundhog]

12. I don't believe the bias against women is intentional in today's age

There probably exist some counter examples, but I suspect the bias against women is generally unconcious and unintentional. In particular, I suspect many people in positions of leadership unconciously feel an affinity to people who think and act like themselves. I'm sure it can be corrected for by creating boards that look at blind packets for hiring/promotion/termination decisions, but that also inserts its own biases. For example, the employee seeking promotion may be passed over for a new position because they and/or their supervisor are not effective writers, even though persuasive writing has nothing to do with the new position being sought.

[Novara]

16. It's fucking called institutional sexism

And yes, it is intentional. It's a product of the patriarchy and it will not fucking die.

[EmmaLee E]

20. Yes! Preach it.

Did it really say, "Bias may have a role?"

Where do these people come from?

[eppur_se_muova]

7. It's not a glass ceiling, it's a selective bottleneck. nt

[SharonAnn]

14. Great phrase. It's also a "sticky floor", "broken rungs", and a "glass ceiling".

That identifies that women don't have the same opportunities from promotion starting with the day they are hired.

And there are many levels of "glass ceilings" in the ladder to the top.

And this doesn't change the fact that even at the same job level, women are nearly always paid less.

[live love laugh]

17. I all of it is part of the glass ceiling and for POC it's worse.

[sinkingfeeling]

18. "But bias may play a role" kinda says it all.

[walkingman]

19. The older I get the more it becomes apparent that girls/women have

a completely differents set of obstacles when it comes to career and the workforce that is decades if not centuries old.

We have to do better.

[dlk]

21. Bias against women permeates all levels of the workplace

Not just at the top.