A young woman with curly dark hair smiles broadly outdoors, wearing a blue and white striped shirt and layered silver necklaces. A blurred brick building is visible in the background.

Findings

The “Gen Z Women Are Opting Out” Story Is Wrong

Young women today have a complicated relationship with ambition.

Written by: Sheryl Sandberg and Bridget Griswold
Last updated: July 2, 2026
This is for: Early Career Women Women in the Workplace
Topics: Broken Rung Burnout Workplace Bias Confidence Leadership Career Growth

When young women believe companies want them in leadership, they’re much more likely to want a top role. But right now, over 50% of Gen Z women don’t believe it, according to our new research. As one young woman we spoke to explained: “I feel like companies are just filling a quota rather than actually wanting a woman’s perspective in leadership.”

The gap is striking: When Gen Z women believe their company genuinely wants women to lead, 74% of them aspire to a top role, on par with Gen Z men overall. But among Gen Z women who don’t share that belief, only 52% want top jobs. That’s a 22-percentage-point gap between the believers and skeptics.

And Gen Z women are not wrong to be skeptical. Their early career experiences show the path up is steeper: for every 100 entry-level men promoted to manager, only 93 entry-level women are — and only 74 women of color. And when young women look up, the view doesn’t get more encouraging: women make up less than one-third of senior leadership. Other recent signs are even more troubling. Only around half of companies now prioritize women’s advancement, down notably from previous years.

The good news: women who are on the fence about leadership are highly persuadable. Only 3% say nothing would change their mind. What would move them? Fair pay, cited by 54% of undecided Gen Z women as the top motivating factor. The gender pay gap grew over the past two years, so fair pay isn’t an abstract concern. The second factor: work that challenges them. These aren’t lofty demands. They are basic conditions for a healthy, motivating workplace.

If you’re a Gen Z woman on the fence, here’s what the data shows: the rewards of leadership are real and profound. Women leaders experience fairer workplaces and more energizing work. They advocate for themselves more often. They have more flexibility and higher job satisfaction. And beyond these personal payoffs, leadership allows you to change the world for the better: when women lead, companies act more ethically and workplaces become fairer.

And for companies, the path to more women in leadership is clear: pay women equally, give them challenging work, and show them — visibly and consistently — that you want them there.

— Sheryl Sandberg, Founder, and Bridget Griswold, CEO, LeanIn.Org