Breaking Through the Concrete Floor: Why Women Face a Bigger Battle Than Expected

For years, the concept of the ‘glass ceiling’ has dominated discussions about workplace inequality. This invisible barrier supposedly prevents talented women from reaching the most senior positions in their organisations. Yet new analysis suggests that before women even encounter this upper-level obstacle, they must first overcome a far more substantial barrier: what researchers are now calling the ‘concrete floor’.

Whilst the glass ceiling metaphor has shaped policy conversations and public understanding of gender disparity in leadership, critics argue it overlooks a more fundamental problem. The concrete floor represents the structural obstacles that prevent women from even entering or progressing through mid-level positions in the first place. These barriers are far less visible but considerably more difficult to break through than the oft-discussed glass ceiling.

The distinction is crucial for understanding workplace equality. Women struggling against the concrete floor face entry-level discrimination, unequal access to training and development opportunities, and systemic biases that limit their advancement before they ever have a chance to aim for executive positions. These obstacles are embedded in hiring practices, workplace culture, and institutional structures rather than existing at the executive level alone.

Recognising the concrete floor as the primary challenge fundamentally changes how organisations should approach gender equality. Rather than focusing exclusively on increasing female representation in boardrooms, companies must first examine whether they are creating genuine pathways for women to progress from junior to intermediate positions. Without dismantling these foundational barriers, efforts to shatter the glass ceiling will remain ineffective, leaving the majority of talented women trapped beneath the surface.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.