Year
2025
Abstract
Women’s underrepresentation in leadership remains a persistent global challenge, often analyzed through the metaphor of the glass ceiling. While this concept highlights barriers at the top of organizational hierarchies, it fails to capture the earlier and more foundational obstacle of the broken rung: women’s disproportionate exclusion from their first promotion into managerial positions. This research employs a desk analysis to examine the causes, mechanisms, and implications of the broken rung within the Indonesian context, linking it to three theoretical frameworks: liberal feminism, symbolic violence, and intersectionality.
The study finds that from a liberal feminist perspective, the broken rung represents a violation of principles of justice and equality, as women are disadvantaged not by lack of competence but by opaque promotion systems, biased evaluation criteria, and limited sponsorship opportunities. Integrating symbolic violence theory demonstrates how such inequalities are legitimized and rendered invisible by cultural narratives that naturalize male dominance and encourage women to internalize perceptions of inadequacy. An intersectional approach further reveals that women’s experiences of the broken rung are not homogeneous but shaped by intersecting identities of class, ethnicity, and geography, producing layered disadvantages.
The analysis underscores that repairing the broken rung is both a practical necessity and a normative imperative. Organizational reforms—such as transparent career pathways, structured mentoring, and gender-sensitive evaluations—must be combined with cultural interventions that challenge gender stereotypes. For Indonesia, addressing the broken rung requires not only institutional reform but also transformation of societal narratives that legitimize exclusion. Without such measures, efforts to advance gender equality risk remaining superficial or tokenistic.
Keywords:
Broken rung, glass ceiling, liberal feminism, symbolic violence, intersectionality, gender equality, Indonesia
Recommended Citation
Rizky, Putri; Syaebani, Muhammad Irfan; and Rokhim, Rofikoh, "The Missing Step to Equality: Feminist Readings of The Broken Rung" (2026). International Conference on Business and Management Research (ICBMR). 13.
https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/icbmr/2025/1/13
Included in
The Missing Step to Equality: Feminist Readings of The Broken Rung
Women’s underrepresentation in leadership remains a persistent global challenge, often analyzed through the metaphor of the glass ceiling. While this concept highlights barriers at the top of organizational hierarchies, it fails to capture the earlier and more foundational obstacle of the broken rung: women’s disproportionate exclusion from their first promotion into managerial positions. This research employs a desk analysis to examine the causes, mechanisms, and implications of the broken rung within the Indonesian context, linking it to three theoretical frameworks: liberal feminism, symbolic violence, and intersectionality.
The study finds that from a liberal feminist perspective, the broken rung represents a violation of principles of justice and equality, as women are disadvantaged not by lack of competence but by opaque promotion systems, biased evaluation criteria, and limited sponsorship opportunities. Integrating symbolic violence theory demonstrates how such inequalities are legitimized and rendered invisible by cultural narratives that naturalize male dominance and encourage women to internalize perceptions of inadequacy. An intersectional approach further reveals that women’s experiences of the broken rung are not homogeneous but shaped by intersecting identities of class, ethnicity, and geography, producing layered disadvantages.
The analysis underscores that repairing the broken rung is both a practical necessity and a normative imperative. Organizational reforms—such as transparent career pathways, structured mentoring, and gender-sensitive evaluations—must be combined with cultural interventions that challenge gender stereotypes. For Indonesia, addressing the broken rung requires not only institutional reform but also transformation of societal narratives that legitimize exclusion. Without such measures, efforts to advance gender equality risk remaining superficial or tokenistic.