Ladder By Dr. Michele D’Amico
It’s no secret that women face systemic barriers on the path to leadership. But one of the most critical and often overlooked obstacles isn’t the glass ceiling. It’s something earlier, subtler, and just as damaging: the broken rung.
Coined by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org, the “broken rung” Women in the Workplace 2019 refers to the first step up from entry-level to manager, a step where women, particularly women of color, are consistently held back. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 87 women are. That gap compounds at every level, resulting in fewer women in leadership pipelines and fewer seats at the table. In other words, women aren’t just being kept out of the boardroom, they’re being blocked from the hallway that leads there.
So how do we fix it? While policy changes, mentoring, and equitable hiring practices matter greatly, there’s another powerful force we don’t talk about enough: allyship.
The Invisible Barrier No One Prepared Us For
The broken rung is especially insidious because it often doesn’t feel like discrimination in the traditional sense. It might look like being passed over for a “stretch” assignment, having your ideas overlooked in meetings, or receiving feedback that is vague, personal, or inconsistent. It can feel like death by a thousand cuts and many women internalize it, wondering if they simply aren’t ready.
But the data tells a different story. Women are just as ambitious and capable. What they often lack is access to advocacy, sponsorship, and decision-makers who will open doors instead of keeping them shut.
Allyship Is Action, Not Intention
Allyship isn’t just about being a “good person.” It’s about being willing to notice imbalance and do something about it.
This includes:
- Mentoring: Providing guidance and feedback on how to navigate organizational structures.
- Sponsorship: Actively advocating for women to be considered for promotions, projects, and leadership roles.
- Listening: Creating safe spaces for women to share experiences without fear of dismissal or retaliation.
- Challenging Bias: Speaking up when you see double standards, assumptions, or biased decision-making.
Allyship isn’t charity. It’s strategy. When organizations make it a norm, not a novelty, everyone benefits.
Women Supporting Women (But It’s Not Enough)
There’s a damaging myth that women don’t support one another. In truth, women are already doing heavy lifting behind the scenes mentoring, advocating, and creating informal networks. But expecting women alone to fix a system they didn’t create is not only unfair, it’s ineffective.
What’s needed is cross-gender, cross-racial, and cross-generational allyship. That means male leaders taking a seat at the table for equity. It means White women standing up for women of color. It means Gen X and Baby Boomers lifting Gen Z and Millennial women with insight, not judgment.
It’s about turning competitive workplaces into collaborative cultures. Mending the Rung Means Rebuilding the Ladder
Organizations serious about fixing the broken rung need to look beyond diversity statements and toward structural change:
- Transparent Promotion Criteria: What does it take to move up and who decides?
- Bias Training That Works: Move beyond check-the-box training toward coaching that challenges blind spots and encourages accountability.
- Sponsorship Programs: Pair high-potential women with senior leaders who can advocate for them in the rooms where decisions are made.
- Metrics that Matter: Track promotion rates, pay equity, and pipeline diversity. What gets measured gets managed.
Personal Power: What Each of Us Can Do
Even if you’re not in the C-suite, you can help mend the rung:
- Speak up when you see exclusion.
- Refer and recommend women for opportunities.
- Check your own biases and your silence.
- Model transparency. Talk openly about how you got where you are and who helped you.
Don’t wait to be discovered. Ask for what you need. Apply even if you’re not 100% “ready.” Support other women publicly. Advocate fiercely for yourself and others.
A Collective Climb
The broken rung isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s a leadership issue, a business issue, a cultural issue. When women are kept from stepping up, we all lose access to innovation, insight, and impact.
But the good news? Rungs can be rebuilt.
Through allyship, advocacy, and accountability, we can create a workplace where every woman, regardless of background, has the opportunity to rise, lead, and shape the future of work.
Because no one climbs alone. And when we commit to lifting together, the view from the top gets better for everyone.
