Across the executive chain and corporate level boardrooms, the journey to leadership positions for women is met with visible and invisible hierarchies and unspoken standards—an implicit and systemic chorus that whispers, “fall back, stay down, don't even try.” These unmeasurable metrics and intangible standards, even in the age of data-driven evidence-based research, are incredibly stringent for Black women, who, despite their achievements, are continually subjected to performance evaluations that hinge on perceptions rather than measurable results. The experiences of Rosalind Brewer, Thasunda Brown Duckett, and Ursula Burns, among others, exemplify the challenge of invisible hierarchies and unspoken standards for women. However, in the tech sector, the experiences of Timnit Gebru reflect the multifaceted challenges faced by Black women who aspire to leadership roles, which can also shed light on the broader systematic issues that transcend industries and cultures.
Timnit Who? Dr. Timnit Gebru
Timnit Gebru's departure from Google in 2020 is a testament to the individual narrative of professional adversity. The circumstance of her departure encapsulates the persistent reality that challenging the status quo comes at the ultimate cost. Despite her renowned contributions to AI ethics, her story reveals how “invisible hierarchies” and the unwritten expectations of conformity can punish dissent and innovation. At its root, an invisible hierarchy is there to undermine change, and this dynamic is corroborated by the 2024 Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Research Paper Series, which found that Black women surrounded by predominantly white colleagues face negative peer effects, leading to lower promotion rates and increased turnover. The negative outcomes illustrate how unspoken and immeasurable standards reinforce exclusion, even in light of an organization's public facing commitments to diversity and inclusion. Gebru's response, once she left Google, was not to retreat but rather to forge ahead, redefining leadership on her own terms as the founder and Executive Director of Distributed AI Research (DAIR), an organization that champions ethical AI and elevates marginalized voices. Her journey reflects true resilience in the face of systematic limitations.
The invisible standard imposed on women in leadership creates an environment where intangible criteria define success.
The Invisible Standard and Its Impacts
The invisible standard imposed on women in leadership creates an environment where intangible criteria define success. Unlike formalized performance metrics, these standards are influenced by subjective assessments of “fit,” demeanor, and perceived authority—all qualities that are skewed towards ingrained biases. Black women face an additional layer of scrutiny since they are expected to navigate dual biases of race and gender. Black women are 32 percent more likely to leave their positions within two years and 26 percent less likely to receive promotions compared to their white counterparts. Furthermore, a Harvard Kennedy School study indicated that an increase in white coworkers is linked to a 10.6 percentage point rise in turnover for Black women. These numbers provide a view into the tangible consequences of an intangible system of expectations and biases, that “unofficial” standard that women must meet beyond formalized metrics. According to AboveBoard, representation at the highest leadership level remains disproportionately low, with 10.4 percent of CEO positions in Fortune 500 companies held by women, and an even smaller fraction by Black women.
Global Challenges for Women in Leadership
The higher standards imposed on women are not confined to the tech industry. Globally, women in leadership roles encounter a “prove-it-again” bias—the need to consistently surpass their male peers to attain equal recognition. In fact, women continue to face significant challenges in reaching top leadership positions across industries. According to Catalyst, although women make up nearly half the global workforce, only about 32 percent hold senior leadership roles, and this percentage declines even further—to 25 percent—at the C-suite level. That “sticky system of evaluation,” rooted in subjective perception rather than objective metrics places women at a perpetual disadvantage. Further, it exists in the framework of the invisible hierarchy and the double standard that places women in a continuous cycle of validation. The unspoken rules governing women's advancement in high-profile positions manifest through overt and covert scrutiny. Performance is often evaluated through an unsatisfiable subjective lens, penalizing those who do not fit traditional leadership molds.
Fall Back, Stay Down, Don't Even Try
The unspoken directive “fall back, stay down, don't even try” captures the silent but formidable limitations countless women face as they strive for leadership roles. The obstacles are real and deeply ingrained in the fabric of professional environments, represented by the invisible hierarchies that reinforce the status quo. The experiences of women like Timnit Gebru illuminate how these barriers persist, supported by biased perceptions and structures that favor conformity over authentic and transformative leadership. Cultural resistance and structural biases amplify the challenges of the concrete ceiling facing underrepresented women, especially those breaking into high-stakes fields like technology, politics, and corporate leadership. The scrutiny these women face shapes their professional narratives, and it confines their opportunities to lead and grow. There is a pervasive signal that while their contributions may be acknowledged, their potential to lead is limited by unseen, unrelenting standards. This unwritten rule dictates who can hold power and who must remain in a supportive role, reinforcing a professional arena that maintains the refrain: “fall back, stay down, don't even try.”
The unspoken directive 'fall back, stay down, don't even try' captures the silent but formidable limitations countless women face as they strive for leadership roles.
Genuine Inclusivity
The unwritten, unacknowledged set of norms, perceptions, and biases within professional environments that dictate who is seen as fit to lead, and who is not, is embedded in professional norms and reinforced by everyday interactions. These implicit yet illusive standards limit the capacity for genuine inclusivity and equitable leadership. They confine marginalized groups to positions where their expertise is noted, yet the individual's ability to guide change and shape the future is obstructed. However, the path forward requires recognizing these barriers as more than individual challenges. Recognizing and understanding these barriers contributes to reshaping leadership models that support diverse voices. Doing so would begin to create an environment where expertise is valued based on merit, and where leadership paths are accessible to everyone, paving the way for more balanced and inclusive progress.
