glass cliff
noun phrase

- the idea that women are more likely to rise to positions of organizational leadership in times of crisis than in times of success

Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

Shortlisted to become word of the year in 2016, the term GLASS CLIFF is used to describe situations in which women are more likely to be appointed to leadership roles during a decline or chaotic moment. It’s most often used to describe scenarios in the business world.

“Glass cliff” purposefully plays off the far more familiar term “glass ceiling,” used to describe obstacles that confront women and minorities as they try to advance professionally.

The glass cliff goes further to describe what happens when a woman steps into a senior role that is somehow risky or precarious, and when she is nevertheless subsequently blamed for the outcome.

One of the best known examples is Marissa Mayer, whose five years as the last CEO of Yahoo! before it was sold to Verizon, were fraught with turmoil. The platform experienced a massive data breach where hackers stole the names, birth dates and phone numbers of all of its 3 billion users.

Insiders at the company called Mayer an indecisive micromanager and called for her resignation. But Yahoo!’s problems had started years earlier. It had long struggled to brand itself and stay relevant amid the rise of companies like Facebook, Google and Instagram. Yahoo! went through five different CEOs in five years before Mayer took over.

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University of Houston psychology professor Kristin J. Anderson says companies may offer glass cliff positions to women because they consider women "more expendable and better scapegoats."

She says the organizations that offer women tough jobs believe they win either way: if the woman succeeds, the company is better off. If she fails, the company is no worse off, she can be blamed, the company gets credit for having been egalitarian and progressive, and can return to its prior practice of appointing men.[11]

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SOURCES

- Susanne Bruckmüller, Nyla R. Branscombe, How Women End Up on the “Glass Cliff” Harvard Business Review
- Cooper, Marianne, "Why women are often put in charge of failing companies"
- Quartz Obsession, "Is the glass cliff an opportunity or a trap?"
- Rivers, Caryl, Rosalind C. Barnett, "When Wall Street Needs Scapegoats, Women Beware"