Dal glass ceiling al glass cliff

Un tema di grande discussione a livello internazionale è la situazione delle donne in posizioni dirigenziali che si trovano spesso sole di fronte a situazioni molto rischiose, al cosiddetto glass cliff: "Most famously Carly Fiorina (Hewlett Packard), Kate Swan (W.H. Smith) and Patricia Russo (Alcatel-Lucent) were all appointed to top positions at a time of "tumbling share prices. "Not that women are uniquely drafted into crisis ridden situations—plenty of male leaders find themselves in equally rough waters—but women can be especially at risk.
Recent research points to a clear-cut difference between men and women's ability to weather risk and failure. Data contained in a recent Harvard Business Review report shows that when female executives wrestle with stormy weather and fail to right the ship corporate cultures can be unforgiving. Women leaders are seriously isolated, without mentors or sponsors or the equivalent of the "old boys' network" they find it impossible to rally support in the wake of failure. More so than men they crash and burn". (Harvard Business blog)

Il tema del glass cliff è presente anche nell'ultimo libro di Concita De Gregorio, Malamore, che interpresa però il tema come tendenza delle donne a cercare il pericolo come abitudine di mettersi costantemente alla prova.