The Glass Cliff has been demonstrated in a number of fields, including FTSE 100 companies, British politics, law and policing, and the research suggests that precarious Glass Cliff positions may be particularly prevalent in male-dominated fields such as ship-ping, logistics and transport.

This may be because women in these industries are often isolated and lack the networks of their male colleagues.

One female executive described what happened to her: "I was placed on a project to manage that was the 'project from hell'. Was I set up for failure? I do not know."
—"Balancing on the edge of the Glass Cliff," Lloyd's List, September 21, 2006

'Why are women so awful to each other?' 'Do Men Make Better Bosses?' 'Nurturer or Queen Bee?' - these are some recent headlines that suggest something is wrong with women in senior leadership and management positions.The barriers to women's progress in leadership and management are well known - from the 'glass ceiling' or 'glass cliff' to the 'Mommy track'. But how should women support each other to reach senior positions?
—Sharon Mavin, "Venus envy: sisters are ruining it for themselves," Personnel Today, August 8, 2006

Growing numbers of women are smashing through the so-called "glass ceiling" into senior managerial roles, but many are finding themselves in precarious positions with a high risk of failure, according to Professor Alex Haslam of Exeter University. ...

[I]n a study of FTSE 100 companies, Haslam and his team discovered that most appointed women to senior positions only after a downturn in their fortunes, leaving them standing on the edge of a "glass cliff."
—Women face 'glass cliff' effect CNN.com, September 8, 2004