The Broken Rung Isn’t the Only Problem Women Face on the Ladder

We’re already more than familiar with the term ‘glass ceiling,’ the point in which women can see executive levels without hope of reaching that promotion for themselves. And we’re somewhat less familiar with the ‘concrete ceiling’ women of color are met with on their way up the promotional ladder -- one where they can’t even see the sky, never mind the upper echelons. 

The broken rung, on the other hand, is the real genesis of attrition for all women. We’re well aware that women rarely make it to the executive level. But the problem starts much, much earlier. 

According to LeanIn.org, 73 percent of women have reported biased microaggressions and discrimination in the workplace. We can only assume that the actual numbers are in fact much, much higher, considering many biases go unreported.

“Conventional wisdom says that women hit a ‘glass ceiling’ as they advance that prevents them from reaching senior leadership positions. In reality, the biggest obstacle that women face is the first step up to the manager or the ‘broken rung.’ This broken rung results in more women getting stuck at the entry-level and fewer women becoming managers. As a result, there are significantly fewer women to advance to higher levels.” - LeanIn.org 

When women aren’t even getting promoted at junior levels, they don’t receive the training, mentorship and sponsorship they need to reach the executive levels. 

Unfortunately, the broken rung has never been the only problem on the ladder to success.

Repairing the Broken Rung -- Just One Step to Success

Despite this early-onset discrimination, there are steps we can take to ensure women are promoted at the junior level and have the tools they need to lean in (accept opportunities without hesitating) and succeed up through the executive levels.

Set Climbers Up to Succeed

While we need to start acknowledging and repairing root problems on the junior level (discrimination and lack of promotion), we also need to give women the same training, mentorship and sponsorship offered to their male counterparts -- at all levels. 

When women hit a glass cliff (the point in which they are promoted as a diversity hire with little training or preparation), it’s too little, too late. 

Women need equal sponsorship as their male counterparts to lean in at the junior-and-mid levels -- not mentorship from male superiors. 

Men often enjoy the advantages of sponsorship from their superiors, by way of casual introductions at social clubs, sporting events and happy hours. These informal meet-and-greets aren’t necessarily intentionally excluding women; they’re arranged thoughtlessly and seemingly innocently.

While most of these network connections are made inadvertently, we need to purposefully create these same opportunities for women. We can’t ask women to ‘lean in’ to accepting opportunities when none are presenting themselves. 

When it comes to mentorship, women don’t generally need the advice of their male superiors who understand little about their situation. What they need is support from their female peers, the confidence to keep advancing upward and the same sponsorship opportunities from their superiors their male counterparts enjoy.

Focus on Leaning In During Mid-Level Attrition

In addition to focusing on the broken rung, we also need to give a high level of attention to women in mid-level-range positions -- especially to women in tech, who have seen attrition rates increase at a slow and steady rate in the past few years. Yes, these women do encounter the broken rung at the junior level, but they also suffer from burn-out and discontent at the mid-levels. 

Women resisting the urge to lean in is only half the problem. The discrimination these women faced the first time they were overlooked for promotion still weighs heavily on them -- as does every ‘diversity hire,’ failed attempts at gender equality and preconceived notions that she just ‘couldn’t handle the workload’ because of family commitments. 

Luckily, the same solution applies to women at the mid-levels as it does the junior levels: women-only mentorship Power Circles and sponsorship from superiors (both male and female). 

Involve Everyone -- Especially Male Allies

When it comes to male allies, the solution is the same! More diversity and less attrition and empower everyone -- including male counterparts.  

In addition to women-only mentorship circles, male-only support circles can help male allies understand how to help their female counterparts. These types of circles can offer insight and empathy on some of the discrimination women face in the workplace.

If we don’t understand (or even acknowledge) the problem, we can’t fix it.

The good news? Employing mentorship circles and superior sponsorships is just as effective as one-on-one mentorship, making this solution cost-effective. 

In a study conducted with one Fortune 100 company, participants reported that after 25-to-30 hours of virtual meetings with their Power Circles and ‘check-in’ time with other circle members, in addition to being paired with a sponsor within the organization, we were able to reduce attrition rates by 49 percent, saving the company $1.25 million in recruiting costs per cohort of 30. 

While we don't expect things to change overnight, these initial results point to an approach that promises the advancement of women at exponential rates. 

(1) The “broken rung” is the biggest obstacle women face, LeanIn.org – 2019 https://leanin.org/women-in-the-workplace-2019

(2) Leveraging the Power of We, Emerging Women – 2019 https://emergingwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/r9-EW-003-White-Paper.pdf

(3) Sheryl Sandberg: The Gender Gap Isn’t Just Unfair, It’s Bad for Business

 – 2019 https://www.wsj.com/articles/sheryl-sandberg-the-gender-gap-isnt-just-unfair-its-bad-for-business-11571112300