Overcoming the traps of the glass ceiling
Gender parity is still a long way from being achieved in positions of responsibility. Faced with persistent obstacles, what can be done today to limit the impact of these obstacles and move forward in one's career?
Fifty years: that is how long we would still have to wait, at the current rate, before achieving gender parity in positions of responsibility, according to the 2024 report by Lean In and McKinsey. A figure that resonates as a reality check: despite the progress achieved, cultural change takes time.
Many companies have indeed implemented ambitious policies in favor of gender equality and, more broadly, diversity. Mentoring programs, sensitization to assessment biases, clarification of recruitment criteria, more flexible work organization policies: so many measures aimed at facilitating the inclusion of all and removing structural barriers to advancement affecting various categories of employees. Nevertheless, no matter the level of initiative taken by organizations, progress remains slow and certain gains are still fragile. Faced with the obstacles they encounter, some choose to turn toward other professional horizons or to give up on an ascending career trajectory. Another option consists in identifying the factors that fall within one’s own sphere of control in order to seek to move forward in spite of the biases that persist.
The spectrum of obstacles to be accounted for is wide. Some are structural: the “sticky floor” that keeps some people in undervalued positions, the “glass walls” that limit horizontal mobility, the “glass ceiling” that hinders access to management positions. Others pertain to aspects of personal life that tend to remain taboo and thus ignored, even though they have repercussions that would benefit from being addressed: caregiving situations, biological cycles, invisible disabilities… Lastly, certain behaviors or certain individual beliefs contribute to limiting one’s own progress. Paradoxically, this trap often concerns profiles with remarkable qualities: perfectionist, loyal team members possessing excellent interpersonal skills.
What should be acted upon to limit the impact of these obstacles? Three dimensions deserve particular attention: deciphering the structural phenomena that limit progress; avoiding behavioral traps that reinforce glass ceilings; and lucidly integrating the repercussions of personal realities on working life.
In this synopsis:
– Sticky floor, glass walls, glass ceiling: what to do?
– Four traps that lead to reinforcing one’s own glass ceiling
– Adapting work organization to health and family life concerns
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