glass cliff

Women seeking senior positions in organisations, government and private, lead dangerous lives.  First they have to break through the glass ceiling, that barrier which is invisible but very effective in preventing women from being selected for the top jobs, despite their having the necessary qualifications. 

Having shattered that ceiling they may find themselves confronted by the glass cliff.  If they are appointed in times of crisis when the organisation is in bad shape for political, financial or reputational reasons, then they may be being set up to fail.  The blokes may be avoiding the job because everyone can see there is trouble ahead, thus giving women a better chance of getting it than they would usually have, but leaving them to deal with the mess. 

In circumstances like that it would not be surprising if something went wrong and the female executive is obliged to fall on her sword. It is not just at Optus that a female executive encountered the glass cliff.  Vanessa Hudson at Qantas and Michele Bullock at the Reserve Bank of Australia are also faced with the job of cleaning up the mess.