Thriving Not Surviving
The layered, often invisible challenges Black women navigate in higher education leadership.
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The “glass ceiling” is an invisible barrier that prevents women advancing to top-level positions in the workplace.
While the “glass cliff” describes a trend in which women are disproportionately appointed to leadership positions during periods of organizational crisis or reputational risk.
But the “concrete ceiling” is an opaque and impenetrable barrier to opportunity which suggests a lack of recognition that the opportunity even exists.
In the field of higher education, the concrete ceiling is familiar to Black women in high-level academic leadership positions who feel confined to secondary roles, despite being among the most educated demographic groups in the United States.
In a study to understand how exclusion operates under conditions that resemble the glass cliff, researchers centered on the lived experiences of Black women navigating senior leadership roles such as deanships, provostships, and presidencies.
They found the barriers Black women face in leadership were less about initial access and more about what happened after they accepted their positions.
“Their racial and gender identity significantly and adversely impacted their professional trajectory, often resulting in them being overlooked for advancement opportunities,” write researchers in the Journal of African American Studies.
“While some participants overcame early access challenges consistent with the glass ceiling, their narratives more vividly illustrate the effects of the concrete ceiling, where opportunities for advancement are hidden, support is inconsistent if it even is provided, and inclusion is conditional.”
The researchers say the study helps explain why some Black women may be reluctant to enter or remain in certain positions despite being credentialed and qualified as a result of the barriers.
They conclude with call for urgent structural reforms in recruitment, support, and retention strategies to ensure Black women not only access leadership roles but are positioned to thrive within them.
The full article can be downloaded here or requested through your school or library using this citation: Johnson, T.W., Toms, O.M., Gaines, A.M. et al. The Perilous Experiences of Black Women in Higher Education Leadership Who Were Placed on the Glass Cliff. J Afr Am St (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-025-09713-9
D.L. Lee is the author of SISTERLY LOVE, a novel about two sisters who grow apart.
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