The fight for gender equality in the workplace continues, but there is good news. More and more women in the last five years have moved into leadership positions and corporations committing to gender diversity is at an all-time high this year with 87%, in comparison to 56% in 2012. Most importantly, McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org identified the point on the corporate ladder where women struggle the most in their annual Women in the Workplace report.
Dubbed the “Broken Rung” by the report, the first step up to a managerial position is especially difficult for women in the workplace and the most critical. Should companies directly address this issue, it is estimated that about 1 million women could become managers within five years.
As it stands for every 100 men hired or promoted into a managerial role, only 72 women receive the same. This results in fewer women overall to advance into higher levels. Despite increases in hiring and promotion rates for senior women, the significant gap associated with first time promotions of women is slowing the rate of women being promoted in the higher ranks.
In spite of the incredible potential the report identifies, many companies have no awareness of the “broken rung” challenge or are not taking the right kind of action to address. Human Resources leaders often cite a lack of qualified women in the pipeline, with only a minority recognizing that women get stuck early in their careers because they are less likely to be promoted into managerial positions.
“For five years, this study has given companies—and all of us—a detailed picture of exactly what women are up against at work,” explained Sheryl Sandberg, Co-founder of LeanIn.Org and COO of Facebook. “We have the data and insights we need to reduce bias, close the gender gap, and make the workplace equal.”
The study was conducted by surveying data and insights from 329 companies employing over 13 million people and more than 68,500 employees.
Read about the Black Women Pay Gap
