The Broken Rung That Keeps Women From Leadership

While corporate America has long celebrated shattering the glass ceiling, a more pervasive barrier continues to hold women back from reaching leadership positions — the broken rung. This fundamental obstacle, occurring at the critical transition from entry-level to management roles, has proven to be the most significant impediment to women’s advancement in the workplace.

This has created a ripple effect that extends far beyond initial management roles in recent years, resulting in women occupying merely one in four C-suite positions. With shifting political landscapes threatening to roll back diversity initiatives and mounting challenges to DEI programs, organizations face a critical juncture in addressing this systemic barrier that continues to shape leadership demographics in corporate America.

Understanding the Barriers to Women’s Leadership

The path to management for women is complex and riddled with multiple obstacles that begin early in their careers. While organizations often focus on high-level leadership gaps, the real challenge starts much earlier, usually at the first step into management. Recent research and workplace studies have revealed several key factors that contribute to this broken rung, creating a compound effect that impacts women’s entire career trajectory.

The Persistent Gender Gap in Management

A closer look at the numbers reveals the true pace of women’s advancement in corporate America. Despite organizations claiming equal hiring practices at entry-level positions, the initial climb up the corporate ladder exposes a glaring gap. According to McKinsey’s 2023 Women in the Workplace report, for every 100 men promoted to first-level management, only 87 women advance to similar positions. This initial barrier creates a ripple effect throughout organizations, resulting in men holding 62% of industry leadership positions.

Even more concerning is the timeline for change. At our current pace, it will take women until 2085 to achieve leadership parity in the United States and over two centuries globally.

The many organizations that promote women often base their decisions on track records rather than potential, which is a stark contrast to how men are evaluated. This difference in assessment criteria creates an additional hurdle, as women must repeatedly prove their capabilities while men are often promoted based on perceived future performance.

Workplace Bias and Identity Factors

A 2023 study spanning multiple industries identified 30 distinct types of bias that women encounter in their professional lives. These biases extend far beyond job performance, touching on personal attributes such as:

• Physical appearance and body size
• Marital status and family responsibilities
• Communication style and accent
• Age and experience level
• Pregnancy and parenthood

What’s troubling is that these biases are usually out of the person’s control and unrelated to professional performance. Women face the impossible task of being “just right” — not too young or too old, not too assertive or too passive, not too focused on family or too career-driven. This creates a constant balancing act that their male counterparts rarely face.

Women-to-Women Relationships in the Workplace

One of the most overlooked aspects of the broken rung is the complex relationship between women in professional settings. Despite the popular narrative of women supporting women, workplace studies reveal a more complicated reality. Women bullies often target other women 65% of the time, using tactics that are usually harder to detect than traditional workplace harassment, such as:

• Social isolation from key meetings and discussions
• Spreading rumors and undermining credibility
• Using subtle peer pressure to influence behavior
• Restricting access to important information or resources
• Creating competitive rather than collaborative environments

The perception of limited seats at the leadership table often intensifies this dynamic. When women believe there’s only room for a few, it can create an unhealthy competitive environment rather than fostering collaboration and mutual support.

The Impact of Political and Policy Changes

Shifting political priorities will challenge women’s path to leadership in 2025. With mounting pressure against DEI initiatives and potential policy rollbacks, organizations are reassessing their diversity programs. This uncertainty is particularly concerning because structured diversity initiatives have historically provided crucial support for women’s advancement into management and executive roles. Companies admit feeling caught between maintaining their commitment to gender equity and responding to political pressures.

When organizations reduce their focus on diversity initiatives, women and minorities often suffer the most. Without structured support systems, addressing issues like the promotion gap becomes increasingly challenging.

The Role of Organizational Structure

Traditional corporate hierarchies often inadvertently reinforce the broken rung through their structure. Vertical reporting lines, where employees must go through their immediate supervisor for advancement opportunities, can create significant barriers when bias exists at any level. This becomes particularly problematic when:

• A single manager serves as a gatekeeper to higher opportunities
• Feedback channels are limited to direct supervisors
• Cross-departmental mobility is restricted
• The current leadership controls networking opportunities
• Alternative paths to advancement are limited or non-existent

Progressive organizations are finding success with more lateral structures that provide multiple pathways to advancement and various points of access to senior leadership.

Action Steps to Repair the Broken Rung

Create Awareness about Gender Bias

Acknowledging and addressing unconscious bias in the workplace is the foundation for meaningful change. Effective bias training must move beyond superficial discussions to create real transformation. Rather than assigning blame, organizations should focus on identifying systemic issues and developing practical solutions.

This means using concrete data to highlight workplace inequalities and teaching practical strategies for recognizing discriminatory processes. One particularly effective tool is the “flip it” test, where statements about women are applied to men to expose double standards. For instance, questioning whether a statement like “she can’t handle this role because she has young children” would ever be applied to a male candidate helps reveal inherent biases.

Provide Structured Mentorship and Sponsorship Programs

Early career support proves pivotal in women’s advancement, making formal mentorship programs essential. These programs should connect junior women with senior leaders who can provide guidance and advocacy. Regular feedback sessions beyond casual check-ins can help women leverage their strengths and address behaviors that might impede their progress. The importance of matching mentors and mentees based on career goals rather than just demographic similarities ensures women receive guidance that aligns with their professional aspirations.

Champion Male Allyship and Partnership

Creating equitable workplaces requires active participation from male leaders and colleagues. Effective male allies understand that advancing women’s leadership isn’t a zero-sum game but rather an opportunity to enhance organizational performance. They actively champion women’s inclusion in key projects and meetings, challenge systemic biases when they observe them, and advocate for women’s advancement in promotion discussions. Successful male leaders also recognize the importance of amplifying women’s voices in meetings and creating inclusive team cultures that value diverse leadership styles.

Implement Organizational Policy Changes

Companies must implement structured promotion criteria that minimize subjective bias and create transparent paths to advancement. Regular reviews of compensation practices ensure pay equity remains a priority. Organizations should establish clear metrics for tracking women’s advancement and hold leaders accountable for meeting diversity goals. These policies must be supported by adequate resources and commitment from top leadership to ensure their effectiveness.

The path to repairing the broken rung requires sustained commitment and investment. Organizations must recognize that advancing women’s leadership is about creating more effective, innovative, and successful businesses. This means viewing investments in women’s advancement as essential to long-term growth. When organizations commit to these comprehensive solutions, they create environments where talent can truly thrive, regardless of gender.