We’ve all heard for the longest time that the glass ceiling is the biggest barrier to women’s advancement. In reality, the broken rung is the greatest obstacle that women face on the path to senior leadership. In corporate environments, there are multiple areas where this is rampant. Women are less likely to be paired with a mentor, and more likely to be given lower impact humanity based projects. Men are typically given the large capital projects that give them a lot more exposure as project managers. This exposure keeps them ahead ever so slightly, leading to more and more women getting passed up for promotions over men every year.
The proof is in the numbers: for the ninth consecutive year, women face their biggest hurdle at the first critical step up to manager. This year, for every 100 men promoted from entry-level to manager, 87 women were promoted. And this gap is trending the wrong way for women of colour: this year, 73 women of colour were promoted to manager for every 100 men, down from 82 women of colour last year. As a result of this “broken rung,” women fall behind and can’t catch up.
It’s no surprise that there are multiple invisible hurdles that women have to jump through to make it to the top of any organization. Right now only 1 in 4 women are C-suite leaders—and for women of colour that jumps up to 1 in 16. There is an archaic sentiment that women aren’t as ambitious as men are when in reality it is the polar opposite. 90% of women under the age of 30 want to be promoted and 75% of those women desire to be senior leaders.
The idea that women are less ambitious is a myth. It likely arose in the past to limit women to roles like secretary or housewife. While programs exist in workplaces to address this bias, society as a whole needs to catch up. Education is key, and it should start young. Changing school systems takes time, but we can make a bigger difference now by electing officials who believe in equality. Diversity education in all schools is essential to break this cycle and create a level playing field. Companies might be getting more women into leadership roles, but it's not enough. The problem lies earlier in careers. At the manager level, it's heavily skewed towards men (60%) compared to women (40%). This creates a bottleneck. With fewer women managers, there are naturally fewer candidates for senior positions, and the gap keeps widening at each level.
Microaggressions are like tiny cuts – everyday slights based on race, gender, or identity. Often unintentional, they still send a message of disrespect and create stress. This can have a real impact on women's careers and well-being. Microaggressions might happen by accident in some cases, but in many cases they are subtle ways in which women are kept down.
The data is clear: women face microaggressions far more often than men. They're twice as likely to be mistaken for someone less experienced or have comments made about their emotions. For women of color, these experiences are even worse. Imagine being constantly underestimated or confused for someone else, simply because of your race and gender. Studies show Asian and Black women experience this seven times more than white women.
To cope, many women resort to self-protection. This can involve "code-switching" - modifying their behavior or communication style to fit in. For example, women may downplay their ideas or avoid expressing themselves fully. This pressure to conform is even stronger for women of color, with Black women facing more than double the pressure to code-switch compared to all women. For LGBTQ+ women, the burden is even greater, with pressure to change their appearance to meet stereotypical expectations of professionalism. The constant stress of microaggressions takes a heavy toll on women's mental well-being.
So make sure you vote, and vote hard.
Vote for your daughters who are entering the workforce after graduating.
Vote for your neighbour who might be a single mom.
Vote for your colleague who just immigrated to Canada and has to support their family back home.
Vote for your sister who exercised her right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
We can create a better world. It’s possible.
I am leading a 6 week mastermind called Wealth Becomes Her. In this container, we will learn how to step into our power and demand more from our lives in every aspect. Join me in this one-of-a-kind experience where we will work together with like-minded women who are all looking for the same thing. I believe fundamentally that the way we can change the conversation about women in the workplace is by first having these safe spaces.
I am so passionate about this work, and I can’t wait for you to join me.
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