From glass ceilings to glass cliffs
This piece was originally published in the Hill Times.
August seems to be a month of shattering “glass ceilings” for women in politics.
From Kamala Harris being named as Joe Biden’s running mate to Chrystia Freeland becoming the first woman federal finance minister, the future seems to be bright for women in politics. But there is much more to it than that.
Women in politics are often thought to have “made it” when they shatter the “glass ceiling,” referring to the invisible barriers that keep women from achieving the highest positions in politics, business, and organizations. Due to its popularity and common use in campaigns, most recently the Democratic Party presidential primaries, shattering the glass ceiling has become a source of empowerment for many women in politics, to the extent where the mere presence of women in positions of power has become an end to itself, and not a means to something else.
The focus has shifted from creating inclusive systems of power that encourage women’s participation and removing systemic barriers to simply filling positions of power with women and hoping for the best.
Take Prime Minister Trudeau’s 50-50 “gender-balanced” cabinet, for which he continues to receive widespread praise when in reality, the state of women’s participation in Canadian politics has faintly changed, especially for the Black and Indigenous women who were once prominent members of his government and fell out of favour once they began to demand better from the PM.
The failure of the obsession with representation, and not meaningful inclusion, in politics has been echoed a number of times during the past few years. We were all excited when Maryam Monsef became the first Afghan woman to hold a ministerial position in Canada, just to be disappointed by the fall she took over the failed electoral reform portfolio; and then when Jody Wilson-Raybould became the first Indigenous woman to hold the position of minister of justice and attorney general just to be caught up in the SNC-Lavalin scandal and subsequently kicked out of the Liberal caucus.
And now amid a pandemic that has taken its toll on the Canadian economy, especially on women, Chrystia Freeland, one of the most decorated members of the Trudeau cabinet, has become the first woman to hold the position of minister of finance while keeping her previous role as deputy prime minister. Add the previous finance minister’s entanglement with the governments’ WE Charity scandal, and all facts point toward another common phenomenon experienced by women in leadership: The glass cliff effect.
The “glass cliff” is closely related to the “glass ceiling” and explains the experience of women elevated to positions of power when things are not going as planned, and thus can’t be claimed as victories for men. When women reach the upper ranks of power, they’re put into precarious positions, such as the one Freeland may now find herself in, and therefore have a higher likelihood of failure, meaning there’s a greater risk for them to fall.
According to a study of the Fortune 500 companies, organizations often look for a change of pace or direction when things are going badly and often opt for the candidate who is most likely to be able to “take care” of the problem and also gives the impression of change. In most cases, that person ends up being a woman.
In the case of Trudeau’s government, it appears that women shatter glass ceilings only to step on glass cliffs. This is partly due to the essentialist patriarchal notion that women are inherently more “cooperative” or “solution-focused,” which leads to promotions most often when there’s a mess that needs “cleaning up.” This same narrative is echoed in Harris’ VP candidacy, where she, as a Black and Asian American woman, is expected to balance Biden’s track record of maintaining the status quo and allegations of sexual assault.
Another example of the glass cliff can be seen in election races where women are less likely to run in winnable ridings.
But let’s not treat women as passive actors in this scheme; according to another study of the Fortune 500 companies, women generally feel a great sense of purpose and commitment to the communities they’re involved in, which informs their ability to step onto the glass cliff. Despite the glass cliff and a political culture dedicated to maintaining the status quo, women continue to take on leadership positions and risks that work in their favour more often than not, even it means rocking the boat and being thrown overboard, as was the case with Jody Wilson-Raybould when she led with her cultural knowledge and community in mind.
Glass cliff or not, Freeland is now facing an unprecedented climate whereby she’s expected to perform her duties while dealing with the sexism and harassment that comes with being a woman in power. It’s on the rest of us to ensure that women, especially marginalized women, are entrusted with power when they can wield it freely and effectively, and not just when the establishment is looking for a solution to their problems.