Women at Work: Ten Years of Data (Spoiler Alert...It Aint Pretty)

Happy 10th anniversary to the McKinsey & Leanin “Women in the Workplace” report! This is the largest study on the state of women in corporate America, and a bit of a tough pill to swallow as the authors analyze data from the past decade to understand progress, decline, and stagnation in women’s representation and experiences.

 

The report's findings show that while companies have taken action that led to some progress—more women in leadership, better policies for employees, and increased efforts to foster inclusion—change is hard and messy. Gains are fragile and less extensive than they appear, and company commitment to diversity is declining. Despite an increase in women’s representation and expanded company efforts, the workplace has not gotten better for women. Women continue to worry it will be harder for them to advance, and their day-to-day interactions look largely like they did in 2015.

 

The report also found that women continue to face barriers at the beginning of the pipeline. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women were promoted. This "broken rung" makes it nearly impossible for companies to support sustained progress at more senior levels. In addition, women's progress in senior leadership is fragile and diversity efforts are decreasing, which is concerning.

 

The McKinsey report concludes that the elements needed to create equity in the workplace are declining. It's clear that companies need to do more to support women's advancement and create a more equitable workplace!  This includes continuing to work on changing employee behavior, engaging men to be part of the change, and continuing to deliver the inclusion message…keep it up, sisters!