Leadership isn’t just about climbing the ladder. It’s about making sure the ladder is leaning against the right wall and standing on solid ground.

As we touched on in our post about board seats, those supports can come from many directions: advocacy, policy, law. And while board quotas get a lot of the spotlight, they’re just one of the props holding the ladder steady. Pay transparency? Parental leave? They’re part of the scaffolding too.  

So, let’s zoom in on the policies and practices on both sides of the Atlantic that are shifting the ground beneath our ladders and why they matter for any woman eyeing her next big move.

Pay on Display

When salaries are out in the open, it’s easier to spot the gaps and harder to ignore them. That’s what makes pay transparency such a powerful stabilizer in the push toward equity.

In the EU, new regulations require companies to publish gender pay gaps and salary bands, turning fuzzy assumptions into clear data points. It’s a move that helps both organizations and the women within them see where things stand and where they need to shift.

In the U.S., progress is building at the state level. Laws in places like California, New York, and Colorado now require salary ranges in job postings, giving women vital information before they ever step into an interview.

Wherever the workplace and whatever the country, it’s not just about numbers.  It’s about leveling the footing on the climb. Transparency gives women the tools to negotiate from a place of knowledge, not guesswork.

Caregiving: Reinforcing the Ladder for the Long Haul

Time away from work to care for family shouldn't derail a career. Policies that support caregiving help keep women on track over the long term.

In the EU, the Work-Life Balance Directive provides that each parent is entitled to a minimum of four months of parental leave, with two of those months being non-transferable between parents.  This encourages fathers to take on more caregiving and helps prevent women from bearing the full weight of family responsibilities.

In the United States, the landscape is more varied. Paid family leave programs at major companies, along with growing state-level funds, show how both employers and policymakers can build better pathways for working moms. These efforts are helping rewrite the rules so that stepping away for caregiving doesn’t mean missing a step when it comes to career growth.   

Whether the support comes from national policy or employer innovation, the goal is the same: making sure caregiving doesn't come at the cost of career progress.

Built to Last

Policy isn’t just paperwork — it’s one of the strongest signals we have for what matters. In Europe, clear targets around pay, caregiving, and representation create a steady framework that companies are expected to follow year after year. The result is structure, consistency, and accountability built into the system.

In the United States, progress often comes from the ground up. State laws and corporate initiatives are pushing innovation forward, but the path isn’t always even. Some ladders are sturdier than others.

What well-designed mandates offer on both sides of the Atlantic is clarity. They make the gaps visible. They define who’s responsible for change. 

The Takeaway

If you are navigating your own path to leadership, or helping shape the path for others, it pays to look beyond personal ambition and company culture. The policies and practices around you, whether they are set by governments, states, or employers, play a powerful role in your career growth.  Put simply, pay transparency, caregiving leave, and representation targets are not just HR matters. They are tools that can either support your next step or make it harder to take.

Understanding how these structures work, and where they are gaining traction, gives you an edge. It helps you ask better questions, push for better conditions, and plan your career with both eyes open. Because leadership is not just about climbing the ladder, but also knowing what’s holding the ladder up.