Julia Gillard will go down in history for breaking through the political glass ceiling to become Australia’s first female Prime Minister.
But was her fall from grace not only inevitable but predictable? Yes, according to Professors Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam of University of Exeter, United Kingdom, who coined the term “the glass cliff” in 2004. Ryan and Haslam’s research showed that once women break through the glass ceiling and take on positions of leadership they often have experiences that are different from those of their male counterparts. They are more likely to occupy positions that are precarious and thus have a higher risk of failure – either because they are appointed to lead organisational units that are in crisis or because they are not given the resources and support needed for success.
Like her or loathe her, it would be hard to deny that Julia Gillard was a textbook example of this pattern.
So once again, it’s clear that regardless of the increasing numbers of women on boards and in leadership positions in Australia, their progress to real equity with their male counterparts remains blocked. I’ve said this before on herBusiness and I’ll say it again, but until there is real change in the Australian corporate and political world, women working in Australia will in most cases continue to struggle to achieve their potential. The ASX’s reporting requirements now include organisational efforts to increase the number of women in senior positions. Hopefully that will make a long-term difference, even if it does involve dragging a highly resistant top end of town kicking and screaming into the forced acceptance of a truly non-discriminatory organisational culture, to drive a flow on effect across all levels of business and all industry sectors.
