Beyond the Broken Rung: Building Equitable Pathways to Leadership
By Dr. Michele D’Amico
Much has been written about the glass ceiling, but fewer conversations address the structural barrier that keeps many women from even reaching that point: the first promotion into management. Known as the “broken rung,” this missed step is where the leadership pipeline begins to fracture. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 87 women are. The gap is even wider for women of color. That early inequity multiplies across careers, resulting in fewer women in senior leadership roles and fewer diverse voices in decision-making rooms.
The Challenge Beyond Ambition
The challenge is not simply ambition or capability. Women are equally driven and prepared. What is missing is consistent advocacy, sponsorship, and allyship.
What Allyship Really Means
Allyship is not a title. It is behavior. It requires noticing imbalance and taking action to correct it.
It can look like sponsorship, which is actively advocating for women to be considered for promotions, stretch assignments, or leadership opportunities. It can look like mentorship, which is offering guidance on navigating unwritten rules and structures. It can look like challenging bias, which means speaking up when you witness double standards or exclusion. And it can look like listening, which creates safe spaces where women’s ideas and concerns are valued.
True allyship is not about charity. It is about equity and effectiveness. When women are elevated, organizations gain resilience, creativity, and stronger leadership.
Collaboration Over Competition
Women already support one another through informal networks and mentorship, but asking women alone to fix a system they did not build is both unrealistic and unjust.
Cross-gender and cross-racial allyship is essential. Male leaders need to champion equity. White women must amplify women of color. Senior leaders must open pathways for younger generations without judgment. This is not about competition. It is about collaboration and cultural change.
Building Equitable Pathways
Organizations that are serious about addressing the broken rung need to move beyond symbolic statements of commitment.
They can begin by creating clear and transparent promotion criteria so that expectations are not left to interpretation. They can invest in meaningful bias and accountability coaching, not just check-the-box training. They can pair high-potential women with senior sponsors who will advocate for them in decision-making spaces. And they can track progress with measurable metrics such as promotion rates, pay equity, and pipeline diversity.
The Power of Individual Action
The responsibility does not rest solely with organizations. Each of us has the power to influence workplace culture.
We can speak up when exclusion occurs. We can refer and recommend women for opportunities. We can share openly about our own path to leadership so that others can see what is possible. We can encourage women to pursue roles even when they feel less than fully “ready.” Small actions taken consistently create ripple effects that shift culture.
A Leadership and Business Issue
The broken rung is not only a women’s issue. It is a leadership issue, a business issue, and a cultural issue. When women are excluded, organizations miss out on talent, perspective, and innovation.
The solution lies in allyship, advocacy, and accountability. By rebuilding the rungs of the ladder, we create pathways where all women can step forward with confidence, and where the collective climb benefits everyone.
