“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” – Madeleine Albright
The phrase “glass ceiling” has been around for decades, yet the barrier it names continues to define careers and lives across the world. It describes the invisible but unyielding barrier that prevents women—and often other marginalized groups—from rising beyond a certain level in organizations, no matter how qualified or ambitious they are.
The ceiling is “glass” because it is not always written into laws or rules—it’s invisible, hard to pin down, and often denied. But it’s there. Women can see the top, they can aspire, they can climb—but when they reach the highest rungs, they hit an unseen wall.
In 2025, as we speak more about equality and progress, the question remains: why does the glass ceiling still exist, and what can we do about it?
What Exactly Is the Glass Ceiling?
The term was first popularized in the 1980s by Marilyn Loden, who spoke of “invisible barriers” holding women back. Over time, it has come to mean the structural, cultural, and institutional biases that stop women from reaching top leadership positions.
The barriers are subtle: lack of mentorship, unconscious bias, networking exclusions, family-related penalties, and stereotypes about what leadership should “look like.”
A related phrase is the “broken rung”—the first managerial promotion where women are disproportionately left behind. According to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2023 report, for every 100 men promoted to a managerial role, only 87 women are promoted. This early disadvantage compounds, leading to fewer women in senior leadership.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just a moral issue—it’s an economic one. The World Bank estimates that closing gender gaps in laws and opportunities could boost global GDP by more than 20%.
Diverse leadership also improves business outcomes. Research from the International Labour Organization shows companies with gender-diverse leadership are more innovative and financially successful. As the OECD puts it: “The lack of women in decision-making positions is not only a question of fairness—it is a waste of talent.”
The Numbers Tell the Story
Global Trends
In the S&P 500, women make up 44% of the workforce, but only 25% of executive and senior management roles.
Across OECD countries, women represent 24.9% of senior leadership roles, but just 9.3% of the top jobs like CEO or President.
At the current pace, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023 predicts it will take 131 yearsto achieve full parity.
India-Specific Data
India has made progress, but the gap is stark:
A 2024 KPMG-AIMA study found women hold 25% of C-suite roles, but nearly 46% of entry-level roles.
Women hold only 18% of senior leadership positions in Indian corporates, despite forming nearly half of the graduate workforce.
In Nifty 500 companies, out of 4,783 director roles, only 885 are held by women.
Just 14.08% of key managerial positions (CEO, CFO, COO) in India are held by women.
Even though SEBI mandated one woman director in the top 1,000 listed companies, women still occupy only about 21% of board seats.
As one Indian woman executive once remarked: “The door is open, but only just enough to peep in, not enough to walk through.”
Barriers That Keep the Ceiling Intact
The glass ceiling isn’t one piece of glass—it’s many layers.
Unconscious Bias and Stereotyping
Women are often seen as “too soft” or “too aggressive.” Leadership traits are coded as masculine, and women who exhibit them face backlash.Networking and Sponsorship Gaps
The “old boys’ club” effect is real. Women are less likely to be mentored or sponsored by senior leaders, which is critical for advancement.Motherhood Penalty
Women with children are judged as less committed, even when their performance is equal to men’s. Conversely, men with families often receive a “fatherhood bonus.”Workplace Norms
Work cultures built around long hours, late meetings, and constant travel often assume a male breadwinner model, disadvantaging women with caregiving responsibilities.Attrition and Burnout
Mid-career women often leave because of burnout, lack of flexibility, or frustration with bias. This is the “second glass ceiling,” where the pipeline leaks most.
As Sheryl Sandberg once noted: “We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”
Women Who Shattered the Ceiling in India
While the statistics tell a grim story, individual leaders show us what breaking through looks like.
Indra Nooyi (Former CEO, PepsiCo)
One of the most powerful women in global business, Indra Nooyi rose from Chennai to lead PepsiCo worldwide. She emphasized that persistence and reinvention were key to her journey. “The glass ceiling will go away when women help other women break through that ceiling,” she once said.Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (Founder, Biocon)
Starting her career in a male-dominated brewing industry where she was denied roles simply for being a woman, Kiran went on to found Biocon, a global biopharmaceutical giant. She has been vocal about women’s resilience, saying, “I really believe that entrepreneurship is about being able to face failure, manage failure and succeed after failing.”Arundhati Bhattacharya (First Woman Chairperson, State Bank of India)
In a 200-year-old institution, she became the first woman to lead SBI. Her tenure was marked by digital reforms and bold decisions. Her story is proof that competence can—and should—trump gender.Naina Lal Kidwai (First Woman to Head HSBC India)
From Harvard Business School to becoming one of India’s top bankers, she broke multiple barriers. She once remarked, “Leadership is not about being male or female—it’s about being effective.”
These women remind us that the ceiling can be broken, but also highlight how rare such breakthroughs still are.
Cracks in the Glass: Progress and Possibility
The good news? The ceiling is cracking—slowly.
Policy interventions: Countries like Norway mandate that at least 40% of board members be women. India’s SEBI mandate is a smaller but important step.
Company initiatives: Many organizations now run sponsorship programs, leadership training, and gender-bias workshops. Data shows companies that track gender metrics see faster progress.
Flexible work: The pandemic showed that remote work and flexible policies can help women balance work and caregiving, though they can also isolate women if not managed well.
One striking example: a multinational used people analytics to track promotion gaps. Within two years, after correcting bias in evaluations and ensuring transparency, they raised their women leadership ratio by 11.5%.
What We Can Do
To dismantle the ceiling, multiple players must act.
Organizations: Make promotion criteria transparent, ensure equal access to high-visibility projects, build inclusive cultures, and create accountability for leaders.
Policymakers: Push for laws that mandate gender equity reporting, provide childcare support, and normalize parental leave for men.
Men as allies: Men must step into caregiving, mentorship, and sponsorship roles. Equality is not a women’s issue—it’s a societal one.
Women themselves: Networking, supporting each other, and demanding seats at the table matter. As Kamala Harris put it: “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.”
Conclusion: From Ceiling to Sky
The glass ceiling is real, but it’s not unbreakable. Progress has been made, but the numbers tell us we are far from done.
Perhaps the most important shift is cultural: recognizing that leadership doesn’t have one face, one voice, or one gender. Leadership is about vision, empathy, and courage—and women have always had these in abundance.
The ceiling may be glass, but every crack made by persistence, policy, and progress lets the light shine through. The task for all of us is to keep pressing, until the ceiling isn’t just cracked—it’s shattered, and the sky is wide open.