Aspiring to Leadership… A Woman's World?

Reuniting the concepts of glass ceiling, glass cliff and glass border, developed by previous researchers, this paper develops the broader concept of the glass staircase. It argues that obstacles are strewn all along women's climb to the top echelons of corporate management and brings to light the ever-existing invisible social barriers and prejudices that women leaders face when taking over at the helm of international corporations. The article attempts to demonstrate that although progress is painstakingly slow in this area, there are signs that the tide is changing and that women are poised to play a far more prominent role in the years to come.