broken rung noun [C, usually S]
UK /ˌbrəʊ.kᵊn ˈrʌŋ/ US /ˌbroʊ.kᵊn ˈrʌŋ/
the situation where someone can progress quickly in the early stages of their career but finds it difficult to get a more senior post

Although women have made gains in representation at the senior level, advancements are slower at the manager and director levels. “The ‘broken rung’ is the biggest barrier to women’s advancement,” said Rachel Thomas, Lean In’s CEO and co-founder. “Companies are effectively leaving women behind from the very beginning of their careers, and women can never catch up.”
[cnbc.com, 18 October 2023]

See also glass ceiling

exhaustion gap noun [C, usually S]
UK /ɪgˈzɔːs.tʃᵊn ˌgæp/ US /ɪgˈzɑː.tʃᵊn ˌgæp/
the situation where women are generally more tired than men, said to be because women have to do more housework, childcare, etc. in addition to their job

The exhaustion gap is a term that refers to the overwhelming impact of work (both in the office world and at home) exhaustion on women, pointing to stats that show women are more likely to experience burnout and stress as they juggle the demands of their careers with household and caregiving responsibilities.
[stylist.co.uk, September 2023]

gender tenure gap noun [C, usually S]
UK /ˌdʒen.də ˈten.jə ˌgæp/ US /ˌdʒen.dɚ ˈten.jɚ ˌgæp/
the situation where women hold very senior jobs for a shorter time than men

Female CEOs typically have shorter tenures compared to their male counterparts, a new study has found. This “gender tenure gap” sees women leading companies on stock exchanges around the world such as the FTSE 100 and ASX 200 for shorter periods than male leaders.
[womensagenda.com.au, 6 November 2023]

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