Tools
Tools
Khalique, AY, 2024. Women solicitors' journeys to partnership and beyond: navigating the glass ceiling and glass cliff. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.
Preview |
Text
Anila Khalique 2024 .pdf - Published version Download (4MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Examining the career journeys of 31 women solicitors in England and Wales, the research investigates their persistent underrepresentation at the partnership level in law firms. Using the glass ceiling and glass cliff phenomena as analytical lenses, and drawing on qualitative, semi-structured elite interviews, it explores their journeys to partnership positions, circumstances shaping their appointments and their lived experiences in these roles. Reflexive thematic analysis reveals gendered cultural and structural barriers arising not only at the “glass ceiling” level but throughout women’s professional journeys, reflecting the metaphorical “labyrinth” of complex, obstacle-filled, circuitous paths and the “glasshouse” of scrutiny under male-gendered expectations. The barriers were intensified for women with intersecting identities, deepening exclusion. Advancing glass ceiling and glass cliff scholarship, this study makes the first qualitative exploration of the prevalent glass cliff phenomenon in the legal profession. Moving beyond predominantly quantitative, scenario based research to date, it shifts the focus on women’s lived experiences away from organisational intent. While existing metaphorical frameworks often portray women as passive victims of structural inequality, this research offers a counter-narrative. It introduces the “leap of faith” as a conceptual metaphor embodying women’s agency and determination, reflecting their rejection of exclusionary ‘traditional’ firm cultures in favour of values-driven, autonomous models of practice. A further contribution of this study is the articulation of the “3Rs” framework - resilience, refusal to accept the status quo and risk-taking, capturing the strategic ways women navigate, resist, and reimagine dominant systems. Although such leaps of faith highlight women’s ambition, this study calls for collective reform to address gendered cultural and structural inequalities in the legal profession, challenging neoliberal reliance on individual adaptation as the sole path to success. The research concludes with valuable insights for women in the partnership pipeline and practical recommendations to cultivate inclusive cultures that advance gender parity and equality in law firm partnerships.
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Khalique, A.Y. |
| Contributors: | Name Role NTU ID ORCID |
| Date: | September 2024 |
| Rights: | The copyright in this work is held by the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the author. |
| Divisions: | Schools > Nottingham Business School |
| Record created by: | Jeremy Silvester |
| Date Added: | 07 Jan 2026 11:10 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Jan 2026 11:10 |
| URI: | https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54945 |
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5062-9793Actions (login required)
 |
Edit View |
Statistics
Views
Views per month over past year
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
