Every time we get a chance to get ahead, they move the finish line
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Mary Jackson
As we celebrate Women's History Month, we recognise the words of Mary Jackson, NASA's first black female engineer. Her quote highlights the struggles many women face in their efforts to break the glass ceiling:
A Trailblazer in Women's Advancement
Mary Jackson made history in 1958 as NASA's first black female engineer. In the 1960s, astronauts Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom and John Glenn were recognised as the first men in space. However, there were many vital figures or "human computers" who made the calculations for this to occur. From 1935, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) employed hundreds of women who became "computers".
One of these computers was Mary Jackson, previously a mathematics graduate and school teacher. Mary helped other women progress in their careers, giving them advice on the opportunities they should pursue. After spending 30 years at NASA, she became an equal opportunity specialist, supporting women to receive promotions and reach their desired positions. This aligns with this year's Women's History Month theme of "Moving Forward Together."
Leadership Driven by Uplifting Others
This week's quote highlights a difficulty that many leaders come across, particularly women or those from minority backgrounds: the seemingly ever-shifting goalpost. As she continued in her role, Mary's promotions dwindled: she felt disappointed that she couldn't advance into management-level positions. Seeing a flaw in the system rather than herself, she stepped down, becoming Langley's Federal Women's Program Manager, working to help the next generation of NASA's women mathematicians and scientists receive promotions.
Despite the shifting goalpost Jackson experienced, she found new ways to overcome systemic challenges by being flexible and uplifting others, as well as herself. Jackson's approach aligns with the Laidlaw value of being #Ambitious and the Oxford Character Project Leadership Virtue of #Collaboration. Being ambitious means to dream big, by challenging the status quo and adapting to shifting finish lines. Being collaborative means being flexible, open-minded and uplifting others.
A Call to Reflect
As we celebrate Women's History Month 2025, we invite you to reflect on Mary Jackson's powerful leadership insights. Share your thoughts in the comments: What’s one thing you can do to support women in leadership?
Hi! Having previously been a Laidlaw Undergraduate Scholar studying English Literature at UCL, I’ve recently joined the Laidlaw Foundation as a Community Ambassador and Team Support Executive.
My research looked at collaborative and innovative practices in academic publishing, and community building is something I built a passion for during my Leadership in Action. I’m looking forward to continuing my journey at the Laidlaw Foundation in this new role! Feel free to reach out or connect with me!
![If you look at the world today... [and] the fact that we’re in culture wars, who understands those better than people in the arts and humanities?](https://images.zapnito.com/cdn-cgi/image/metadata=copyright,format=auto,quality=95,width=256,height=256,fit=scale-down/https://images.zapnito.com/users/584929/posters/3decfe90-ccae-4e21-91de-43552d7fbf6d_medium.jpeg)
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Thank you for this post today @Hannah Watton these two quotes come close to summing it up for me:
All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave (hull et al 1982)
There is a special place in hell for women who don't support other women. ~Madeleine Albright
It is rarely easy to go against the grain but being brave and supporting the marginalised even if you “made it” can go a long way. It doesn’t need to be a big gesture, the smallest act of genuine support for a Woman, particularly from a minority background, can make a big overall difference
Thank you for sharing and for the book recommendation, Rachel! True change and shifts come about when we uplift others as well as ourselves, and it's important not to forget the small gestures as well as the big ones!