GLASS CLIFF Definition & Meaning

glass cliff

[glas klif]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a situation in which a woman or minority has advanced professionally at a time when adverse circumstances or crises make it more likely for the person to fail at the job.
Hired to boost sagging morale, the CEO is facing the edge of a glass cliff.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Coined in 2004 by Michelle K. Ryan ( 1948– ) and S. Alexander Haslan ( 1962– ), British psychologists, on the model of glass ceiling ( def. )

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Part of the issue of the disproportionate numbers of men to women is the “glass cliff,” Glass said.

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Some commentators have already suggested she is poised to encounter the "glass cliff" - a phenomenon in which women reach positions of power only at the riskiest moments.

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How Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino finds herself on the edge of “the glass cliff”: when a woman is sent in to fix a big mess.

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The glass cliff theory holds up in business as well as politics, and, according to a 2011 Harvard Business Review report, “does not seem to apply to organizations with a history of female leaders.”

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Her appointment renewed questions about the “glass cliff,” a theory that women — as well as underrepresented minorities — are more likely to be hired for leadership jobs when there’s a crisis, which sets them up for failure.

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When To Use

What does glass cliff mean?

The glass cliff is a metaphor for putting women and other minorities into leadership positions during times of crisis. It suggests they are getting set up to fail, as if getting pushed over a cliff.

glass ceiling glass curtain

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