The glass ceiling, a phrase popularized in a 1986 Wall Street Journal article, has been invoked for years as the barrier keeping women from reaching the executive ranks in numbers paralleling men. It makes for a compelling image, especially given the stagnation in the representation of women in the executive suites of the largest companies despite their growing presence in the lower ranks. But does it really tell the whole story? At Catalyst, we’ve wondered whether the problems actually ran deeper in organizations, and what might be thwarting women’s progress long before they found themselves bumping up against that barrier.