Are you ready for this?
New research reveals yet another point in a woman’s career where advancement gets blocked—and it starts way earlier than the glass ceiling. It’s called the broken rung.
Unlike the glass ceiling which prevents women from moving into executive roles, the broken rung occurs at the very beginning of one’s career.
Between the broken rung and the glass ceiling, research consistently shows that the broken rung is currently the more significant challenge for women in the workplace—especially when it comes to advancing into leadership roles.
For years, ambitious women blamed the glass ceiling as the invisible barrier keeping them from reaching leadership. It’s built from systemic bias, workplace politics, and unwritten norms.
The result of this barrier?
Talented women often get stuck in middle management—sometimes called the marzipan layer—unable to move forward despite doing all the right things.
But today’s research shows something new:
Women fall behind even earlier—at the very first promotion.
According to Leanin.org, “For every 100 men promoted and hired to manager, only 72 women are promoted and hired. This broken rung results in more women getting stuck at the entry level and fewer women becoming managers. Not surprisingly, men end up holding 62% of manager-level positions, while women hold just 38%.”
If women stumble on this broken rung, they risk falling behind far before they are even tapping the “glass ceiling”.
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