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Structural Gender Barriers Assessment in Organizations3

Structural Gender Barriers Assessment in Organizations Test

In 4 minutes, understand where structural gender barriers shape careers and status in your organization. Get clear, actionable insights to target equity gaps and guide smarter HR decisions in 18 items.

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Questions: 184 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

20,946 views

2,533 completions

2,201 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

3/5

Glass Box (GB)

Measures the extent to which employees perceive heightened visibility and constant monitoring that constrains autonomy and behavior in the organization.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 1.1: Low | 1.2 – 3.2: Moderate | 3.3 – 5: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of perceived visibility and monitoring, suggesting occasional pressure to self-censor or manage impressions at work.

example score

3/5

Glass Cliff (GC)

Measures how strongly the organization tends to place women into leadership roles during crises when the positions are less stable and higher risk.

Low presence

Moderate presence

High presence

1 – 1.1: Low presence | 1.2 – 3.1: Moderate presence | 3.2 – 5: High presence

A score of 3 indicates a moderate presence of the glass cliff pattern, suggesting it occurs sometimes but is not strongly pronounced.

example score

3/5

Glass Escalator (GE)

Measures perceived advantages for men in faster career advancement within traditionally female-dominated roles in the organization.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 1.2: Low | 1.3 – 3.3: Moderate | 3.4 – 5: High

A score of 3 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not strong perception that men receive advancement advantages in female-dominated areas.

example score

3/5

Glass Walls (GW)

Measures the extent of horizontal barriers that limit movement across roles or professional fields within the organization, indicating professional segregation by gender.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 1.2: Low | 1.3 – 3.5: Moderate | 3.6 – 5: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of glass walls, suggesting some limitations in cross-functional mobility that may contribute to gender-based role segregation.

example score

4/5

Sticky Floor (SF)

Measures the extent to which women are concentrated in low-paid, low-prestige roles with limited early-career promotion opportunities in the organization.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 1.4: Low | 1.5 – 3.8: Moderate | 3.9 – 5: High

A score of 4 falls in the High range, suggesting pronounced early-career barriers that may keep women in lower-level roles with limited advancement pathways.

example score

2/5

Glass Ceiling (GC)

Assesses the extent to which invisible barriers limit advancement into top managerial roles within the organization.

Low barriers

Moderate barriers

High barriers

1 – 1.1: Low barriers | 1.2 – 3.4: Moderate barriers | 3.5 – 5: High barriers

A score of 2 indicates moderate signs of glass-ceiling barriers, suggesting some constraints on progression to senior leadership roles.

example score

3/5

Gender Barriers Level (GBL)

This scale measures how strongly structural, gender-related obstacles and segregation are embedded in the organization and affect opportunities for advancement.

Low barriers

High barriers

1 – 2.9: Low barriers | 3 – 5: High barriers

A score of 3 indicates high gender barriers, suggesting notable structural obstacles that can limit career mobility and access to status positions for some groups.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

HR and DEI leaders

41%OF USERS

They use it to pinpoint which structural barriers are blocking advancement and to prioritize policy and process changes.

Employees seeking fairness

34%OF USERS

They take it to understand whether invisible barriers are shaping their career path and to put words to what they experience at work.

Consultants and auditors

25%OF USERS

They use it as a quick diagnostic to identify likely bottlenecks before deeper interviews, surveys, or organizational reviews.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Glass box (Gb)

Average

3.5

Normal range

2.9 — 4

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Glass Rock (GR)

Average

3.8

Normal range

3.2 — 4.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Glass Escalator (GE)

Average

2.9

Normal range

2.3 — 3.5

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Glass Walls (GW)

Average

3.5

Normal range

2.9 — 4.1

min.

max.

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Sticky floor (Sf)

Average

3.5

Normal range

2.8 — 4.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Glass Ceiling (GC)

Average

3.1

Normal range

2.4 — 3.8

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Level of gender barriers (Logb)

Average

3.1

Normal range

2.6 — 3.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Does not apply at all
- Rather does not apply
- Applies in some ways and not in others
- Rather applies
- Fully applies
- Does not apply at all
- Somewhat does not apply
- Partly applies and partly does not apply
- Somewhat applies
- Fully applies
- Does not apply at all
- Rather does not apply
- Applies in some ways and not in others
- Somewhat applies
- Completely applies

These are 3 of the 18 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Structural Gender Barriers Assessment in Organizations Test - Symptoms and Signs

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This brief self-report measure is designed to identify perceived structural and policy-related factors that may contribute to gender-based barriers within workplace settings. The Structural Gender Barriers Assessment in Organizations can be used to support an initial appraisal of where employees perceive constraints on advancement, role access, and organizational mobility.

The instrument includes 18 items and typically takes about 4 minutes to complete. Items ask respondents to rate the extent to which different forms of structural barriers are experienced or observed in their organization, with the goal of highlighting potential areas for further review, consultation, or targeted organizational assessment.

The Structural Gender Barriers Assessment in Organizations is attributed to Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli. Results should be interpreted in context and used as part of a broader evaluation that may include additional data sources (e.g., policy review, workforce metrics, and qualitative feedback).

Author: Alice H. Eagly, Linda L. Carli

Literature: Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become leaders. Harvard Business School Press. 2007.