Promotion or plateau: fixing the sticky middle

The silent cliff between “ready” and “promoted”

Every organisation has a story of a high-potential woman who is “on the cusp”, until suddenly she isn’t. Some leave. Some plateau. Some keep the lights on while others get the spotlight work. This isn’t about ambition; it’s about access. When enough careers hit the same point at once, you get the female retention cliff.

Across sectors, the manager-to-senior-manager step – the so-called “sticky middle” – remains a consistent chokepoint. Women are promoted at lower rates than men, and the costs are immediate: attrition, hiring drag, and long-lasting for culture (Women in the Workplace 2024).

Plateaus are designed, so they can be redesigned

Careers often stall when opportunities depend on who you know and how free you are to engage in informal networking. Or when promotion rules keep shifting, caregiving is mistaken for lack of ambition or when pay doesn’t keep up each time someone changes roles. None of this is inevitable. It’s a design choice and with growing awareness and effort, we can generate a system redesign.

A practical parity playbook with WE+

Use WE+ Measure’s seven goals to focus on the moments that move women forward:

1. Commitment to gender equality: Make promotion fairness at the manager-to-senior-manager step a leadership KPI. Review quarterly. Tie it to remuneration.

2. Minimise bias in recruitment, promotion, and reward: Replace “tap on the shoulder” with structured talent reviews. Require two named sponsors per promotion. Standardise criteria, capture rationale, audit language, and correct pay at promotion.

3. Resolve structural issues around working patterns and benefits: Design big roles to be flexible. Offer progression pathways following leave that still include stretch and P&L exposure.

4. Create psychological safety and an inclusive culture: Train managers to give growth feedback, share credit, and run inclusive meetings so all voices are heard. Recognise and celebrate leaders who encourage women’s progress equitably.

5. Genuine partnership approach between genders: Equip senior men to champion difference, instead of mostly sponsoring people who look or think like them. Track and publish sponsorship patterns internally.

6. End gender discrimination and harassment: Tackle microaggressions with clear standards, bystander tools, and swift processes that build and protect trust.

7. End the gender pay gap: Run pay equity checks at every role change, not just annually. Align variable pay to outcomes, not presenteeism. Read our perspective on why Goal 7 is pivotal: Goal 7: End Gender Pay Gap.

Turning the cliff into a climb to leadership

• Women get as many promotion opportunities as men

• Stronger, more diverse succession planning

• Higher sense of belonging and safety scores for women

• Most importantly: “I can see my next move here.”

Set new standards, not slogans

When women reach the middle of their careers, too many hit roadblocks instead of opportunities. But change is possible. Imagine:

• Teams with a healthy mix of women and men working on the most important projects.

• Every promotion backed by more than one trusted advocate.

• Pay that stays fair and consistent whenever someone changes roles.

• A strong pipeline of women – at least 40% – ready to step into senior positions.

These aren’t distant goals — they’re achievable with the right focus. With One Loud Voice’s WE+ Promotion Parity Sprint, we’ll help you take a clear look at where women get held back, redesign the path forward, and prepare leaders to make growth fair for everyone. In just 8–12 weeks, you can replace drop-offs with real momentum.

Email us at info@oneloudvoice.co.uk to find out more.