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The Glass Wall

Success strategies for women at work – and businesses that mean business – 10th anniversary edition

The Glass Wall cover

The Glass Wall

Success strategies for women at work – and businesses that mean business – 10th anniversary edition

Description

Forget the glass ceiling - there's also a glass wall dividing men and women in the workplace, separating them in terms of career success. In this ten-year anniversary edition of the bestselling book, the authors look at what has changed for women in the workplace since 2016. Spoiler alert - not a lot.

The Glass Wall is a pragmatic guide to success for women at work. Since the first edition was published, whilst there has been some meaningful progress, in some areas, things have gone into reverse.

In this 10th anniversary edition, the authors examine the latest research and gauge whether things have improved or not for women at work since the #MeToo movement and the global pandemic caused seismic change. Every week brings new headlines that cause unease as much as reason to celebrate. Harvey Weinstein's conviction for rape was overturned in a New York court; from a shortlist of three, PWC partners picked the only male candidate to be their UK leader, with this being the only time that women had been in contention for that role; a 2024 report by the Treasury Committee found that women in the city are still subject to shocking levels of “sexual harassment and bullying”. Meanwhile generative AI is sustaining stereotyped images and exacerbating inequity.

In terms of real power, both in government and at work, things haven't changed enough. Debates about the pros and cons of remote and hybrid working continue to impact women and their careers. More companies offer parental leave to new parents, but most of it is still taken by mothers rather than fathers. The new debate around menopause at work is positive, unless it becomes another stick to keep women down.

The Glass Wall, 10th Anniversary Edition helps new groups of women to navigate the workplace, make their lives happier, and empower real change.

Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction – the way forward
Chapter 1: Ambition
Ask for what you want; ask for what you need
Ambition is a stranger to me
Jostling the big boys
Use the frustration
Feel the fear, then do it anyway
Wherever you go, you take the weather with you
One voice: Tessa

Chapter 2: Creativity
Borrow it
Don't zig, zag
Don't fear failure
Tear it up
Be naïve
One voice: Kelly

Chapter 3: Cutting through
Brand yourself
Speak their language
Haha – be funny
Shhh – cutting through as an introvert
Managing up – and sideways (that's your job too)
Don't be a doormat
Be seen
One voice: Mercedes

Chapter 4: Trouble
Keep going
Is sex a problem?
Sex in the office
The conspiracy of the sisterhood – kindness can kill
Mean girls
Know when to back down
The burnout
One voice: Rachel

Chapter 5: Anger
Power grip
Odd one out
Use advocates
Go feral
Play the long game
One voice: Gloria

Chapter 6: Karma
Always on
Be your best self
Make a memory
Pay it forward
We're all human
One voice: Carys

Chapter 7: Strategies for success

Chapter 8: More than a glass wall
The Rubber Wall: whatever you do, however hard you try, you just bounce off it without making an impact
The Ice Wall: a new boss has made the culture freezing cold for you at work
The One Way Mirror Wall: they're watching your every move, trying to catch you out
The Nappy Wall: returned to work, no real sympathy, and times are too tough
The Bloody Wall: every time you assert yourself, your boss asks if you have your period
The Hot Flush Wall: you're going through menopause, and there is either no sympathy, or they're using it as a reason to ignore you
The Tiny Wall: trips you up every time
The Working from Home Wall: people keep calling meetings “in person” on days you work from home
The 10 Storey Wall: precarious to try to climb over this one, without the right climbing equipment, and the right “belayer”
The Sticky Wall: oozing with fake sentiment

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 17 Sep 2026
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 240
ISBN 9781350603820
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Sue Unerman

Sue Unerman is Global Chief Strategy Officer at Br…

Author

Kathryn Jacob

Kathryn Jacob is CEO of Pearl & Dean and the P…

Related Titles

Environment: Staging