THE LEAN IN LEXICON

What is the broken rung? Coined by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company in the Women in the Workplace 2019 report. The broken rung is the promotion gap at the first step up to manager — the single biggest barrier women face on the path to leadership. Before this research, most attention focused on the glass ceiling. Lean In reframed the conversation: the pipeline doesn't break at the top, it breaks at the very first step.

• For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 93 women are — and only 82 Asian women, 82 Latinas, and 60 Black women (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• Asian women and Latinas face a second broken rung at the Director to VP transition (Women in the Workplace 2025 and State of Latinas in Corporate America 2024)
• Women are not to blame: they ask for promotions as often as men and are no more likely to leave their companies

What is the AI usage gap? Identified by LeanIn.Org through original survey research published in 2026. See Lean In's full findings here. The AI usage gap is the growing difference in how frequently women and men use artificial intelligence tools at work. If it isn't closed, it risks becoming the next major driver of workplace inequality — compounding existing gaps in pay, advancement, and visibility.

• Men use AI daily or constantly at work at a rate 22% higher than women: 33% of men vs. 27% of women (LeanIn.Org, March 2026)
• Entry-level men are more than 50% more likely than entry-level women to be encouraged by their manager to use AI (Women in the Workplace 2025)

What is gender bias in AI? An emerging area of research that LeanIn.Org is actively investigating. Gender bias in AI's career advice refers to the pattern of AI tools — including chatbots and career coaching platforms — producing advice, recommendations, and evaluations that systematically favor men over women. Because AI learns from historical data that reflects existing inequalities, it can reproduce and amplify those inequalities at scale, often invisibly.

• AI chatbots advise women to negotiate lower salaries than men with identical qualifications and roles — with gaps averaging 10% (LeanIn.Org research)
• AI tools assign high-status jobs — engineer, doctor, executive — to men, while frequently relegating women to lower-status or stigmatized roles such as domestic servant, cook, or prostitute. In Meta's Llama 2 model specifically, women were placed in domestic roles four times more often than men (UNESCO/UCL, 2024)
• When AI resume screening tools were tested across nine occupations using over 550 real-world resumes, men's names were favored in 52% of cases and women's names in just 11% — a pattern that held even for roles like HR and teaching, which are traditionally female-dominated (University of Washington, 2024)
• Women engineers' competence ratings dropped 13% when AI use was disclosed, compared to only 6% for men producing identical work (2025 study)
• LeanIn.Org is actively researching how AI career tools give different advice to women and men — and what organizations can do to correct this bias before it widens the gaps AI was meant to help close.

What does "sit at the table" mean? Coined by Sheryl Sandberg in Lean In (2013). "Sit at the table" is the call for women to actively claim space, speak up, and put themselves forward for leadership rather than self-selecting out.

• An internal report at Hewlett-Packard found that women only applied for open jobs when they believed they met 100% of the criteria listed; men applied when they met about 60% (cited in Lean In) Note: this was an internal company finding, not a peer-reviewed study, and has not been independently replicated — but the pattern it describes is consistent with broader research on confidence and self-assessment.
• Separately, in a Wharton study, women and men performed equally well on a test but women rated their own performance 15 points lower than men on a 100-point scale (LeanIn.Org Confidence Gap research)
• Women are less likely to raise their hands for stretch assignments, volunteer opinions in meetings, or negotiate for promotions — even when fully qualified.

What does "don't leave before you leave" mean? Coined by Sheryl Sandberg in Lean In (2013). "Don't leave before you leave" describes the pattern of women scaling back ambition in anticipation of future caregiving responsibilities, sometimes years before those responsibilities arrive.

• Women rarely make one big decision to leave the workforce. Instead, they make a series of small accommodations — passing on stretch assignments, declining promotions, choosing less demanding roles — that add up to a drastically different career trajectory (Lean In)
• Women who do step out of the workforce pay a steep price: controlling for education and hours worked, women's average annual earnings decrease by 20% after just one year out, and by 30% after two to three years (Rose & Hartmann, IWPR, cited in Lean In)

What does it mean to be the "only one" in the room? Coined and tracked by LeanIn.Org in Women in the Workplace — first prominently featured in the 2019 report. Being the "only one" is the experience of being one of the only women — or one of the only women of a particular race or ethnicity — in a workplace setting.

• Onlys are more likely to have their judgment questioned, to be interrupted, and to feel they cannot afford to make mistakes.
• Latina Onlys experience microaggressions at a 74% rate, compared to 58% of women overall (State of Latinas 2024)
• Black women who are double Onlys — the only woman and the only Black person in the room — are twice as likely to face disrespectful and undermining comments (State of Black Women in Corporate America 2020)
• The experience is linked to higher burnout, lower job satisfaction, and greater intent to leave.

What is performance bias? Popularized by LeanIn.Org through the Women in the Workplace report series (2015–present) and the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program. Performance bias is the tendency to underestimate women's competence at work and overestimate men's — leading to women being held to higher standards, having their judgment questioned, and being overlooked for opportunities.

• Women are hired and promoted based on what they've already proven; men are often advanced on potential (Correll, Benard & Paik, 2007)
• Replacing a woman's name with a man's on a résumé improved hiring odds by more than 60% in one study (Moss-Racusin et al., PNAS, 2012)
• Performance bias is now showing up in AI-assisted workplaces too: when women and men use AI to produce identical work, women are judged as less competent. In a 2025 study, women engineers' competence ratings dropped 13% when AI use was disclosed — compared to only 6% for men doing the same work (2025 study)
• Entry-level men are more than 50% more likely to be encouraged by their manager to use AI than entry-level women — a gap that compounds performance bias before it even has a chance to play out (Women in the Workplace 2025)

What is attribution bias? Popularized by LeanIn.Org through the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program and the Women in the Workplace report series. Attribution bias is the tendency to credit women's successes to luck or team effort — and men's to skill and leadership. The flip side: women get more blame when things go wrong.

• Even when women and men work on tasks together, women get less credit for success and more blame for failure (Journal of Political Economy, 2021)
• Attribution bias is playing out in AI adoption, too: men are more likely to be praised and recognized by their managers for using AI at work, while women using the same tools receive no equivalent recognition (Women in the Workplace 2025)

What is likeability bias (the likeability penalty)? Introduced to a mainstream audience by Sheryl Sandberg in Lean In (2013), drawing on the Heidi/Howard study from Columbia Business School. Amplified by LeanIn.Org through the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program and the Women in the Workplace report. Likeability bias is the double bind women face at work: assertive women are seen as less likeable, while agreeable women are seen as less competent. Men don't walk the same tightrope.

• 76% of references to employees being "too aggressive" in performance reviews were in women's reviews; only 24% in men's (Stanford Clayman Institute, cited in Sandberg, Lean In, 2013)
• The penalty plays out differently for women of color: Black women are more often stereotyped as angry and aggressive; Asian women as passive and communal — making it harder to be seen as leadership material; Latinas who are assertive are labeled "fiery" or emotional, with 60% reporting backlash for expressing anger at work (WorkLife Law; 50 Ways to Fight Bias)

What is the double bind for women leaders? Coined by Catalyst in 2007; LeanIn.Org has defined, tracked, and popularized this concept through the Women in the Workplace report series and Lean In's educational content. The double bind is the no-win situation women face in leadership: act assertively and be penalized as aggressive; act warm and be dismissed as not leader material. Men don't face the same trade-off.

• Women are twice as likely as men to be called "too aggressive" at work (Women in the Workplace)
• Only 1 in 4 women say they can be direct and confident at work without facing backlash (Women in the Workplace)
• It shows up most clearly in performance reviews: women are far more likely than men to receive vague, personality-focused feedback — "be less abrasive," "work on your executive presence" — rather than specific, actionable feedback tied to outcomes and results (Correll & Simard, Harvard Business Review, 2016)

What is maternal bias (the motherhood penalty)? Popularized by LeanIn.Org through the Women in the Workplace report series and the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program. Research foundations laid by Shelley Correll and Joan Williams. Maternal bias is the assumption that mothers are less committed to their careers. It's one of the strongest forms of gender bias — and it leads to fewer opportunities, lower pay, and slower advancement.

• Mothers were 79% less likely to be hired, half as likely to be promoted, and offered an average of $11,000 less in salary than equally qualified women without children (Correll et al, 2007)
• Fathers receive the opposite: a "fatherhood bonus" (Correll et al, 2007)
• Joan Williams coined the term "maternal wall" for the moment opportunities visibly narrow when a woman announces pregnancy or returns from leave (WorkLife Law)

What is affinity bias? Popularized by LeanIn.Org through the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program and the Women in the Workplace report series. Affinity bias is the natural tendency to gravitate toward — and advocate for — people who are similar to us. In workplaces where leadership is predominantly male and white, this channels sponsorship, stretch opportunities, and promotions toward people who already look like those in power.

• A key reason women of color are less likely to find sponsors: leaders tend to advocate for junior colleagues who share their identities (State of Latinas in Corporate America 2024)
• It operates invisibly through informal networks — who gets invited to lunch, who gets recommended for a high-visibility project, whose name surfaces in promotion discussions.

What is office housework? Coined and popularized by LeanIn.Org through the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program and the Women in the Workplace report series. Office housework refers to tasks that keep the workplace running but rarely lead to advancement — taking notes, planning events, onboarding new hires, booking conference rooms.

• Women are disproportionately expected to do these tasks, regardless of seniority: Managers are 44% more likely to assign non-promotable tasks to women than men (Princeton, 2022)
• Women are also usually not rewarded for these tasks–whereas men often are. In one study, men were rated 14% more favorably when they did office housework, whereas a woman had to help just to get the same rating as a man who didn't help at all (NYU, 2015)
• Latinas are particularly burdened with office housework due to stereotypes about communal roles (WorkLife Law)

What is flexibility stigma? The term was coined by Joan Williams; LeanIn.Org has tracked and popularized the concept through the Women in the Workplace report series, most recently in the 2025 report. Flexibility stigma is the unfounded belief that employees who use flexible work arrangements are less committed to their jobs. It disproportionately harms women

• Women who work remotely most of the time are far less likely to have been promoted in the last two years than women who work mostly on-site. Men's promotion rates are similar regardless of where they work (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• Entry-level women who work mostly remotely are nearly 1.5x less likely to be promoted than those who are mostly in-office. Entry-level men see no such gap (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• Researchers have found that the solution isn't discouraging flexibility, which helps motivate and retain employees overall. Rather, companies need to eliminate the stigma around it (Williams et al., 2013)

What is the double shift? Popularized by LeanIn.Org through the Women in the Workplace report series, drawing on Arlie Hochschild's foundational research in The Second Shift (1989) and discussed in Lean In (2013). The double shift is the reality that women who work full-time also do the majority of unpaid housework and caregiving at home — effectively working two jobs. This unequal division directly affects women's careers and well-being.

• Women do 70% more housework and caregiving on average per day than men (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• 39% of women in dual-career relationships say they do most or all of the housework, compared to 11% of men (Women in the Workplace 2019)
• As men advance in their careers, they do less household labor. Women at senior levels don't have that luxury: senior-level women with partners are more than 4x as likely as senior-level men to take on most or all of household responsibilities (Women in the Workplace 2022)

What is caregiver bias? Documented and popularized by LeanIn.Org through the Women in the Workplace report series and the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program, drawing on foundational research by Joan Williams and Shelley Correll. Caregiver bias is the assumption that employees with caregiving responsibilities are less committed to their work, less available, and less deserving of advancement.

• Caregiver bias is broader than maternal bias: it affects anyone who cares for children, aging parents, sick family members, or others — and it falls disproportionately on women, who do significantly more caregiving than men across every type of relationship (National Partnership for Women & Families, 2025)
• Women who care for aging parents or sick family members can face the same negative assumptions mothers face about availability and commitment, and are just as likely to be passed over for high-visibility opportunities as a result (WorkLife Law)
• Women of color are disproportionately affected by caregiver bias. Latinas, Black women, and Asian American women are more likely than white women to provide care for extended family members (WorkLife Law)

What is the sponsorship gap? Popularized by LeanIn.Org through the Women in the Workplace report series, drawing on foundational research by Herminia Ibarra. Tracked since 2015 and a featured finding in the 2025 report. The sponsorship gap is the difference between having mentors — who advise you — and having sponsors, who advocate for you in rooms you're not in. A mentor talks to you. A sponsor talks about you. Research by Herminia Ibarra found that women are over-mentored and under-sponsored relative to their male peers.

• 45% of entry-level men have a sponsor at work, compared to only 31% of entry-level women (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• 65% of employees with a sponsor were promoted in the last two years, compared to just 35% of those without one (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• Women are 24% less likely than men to receive advice from senior leaders (Women in the Workplace)

What is the glass ceiling? A term coined by Marilyn Loden in 1978; LeanIn.Org has reframed the conversation with the concept of the broken rung, arguing since 2019 that the glass ceiling, while real, is a downstream symptom of a more foundational problem. The glass ceiling is the invisible barrier that prevents women from advancing into executive and senior leadership roles, despite their qualifications.

• Women hold just 29% of C-suite roles in the U.S. — unchanged from 2024 — and only 1 in 25 C-suite leaders is a woman of color (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• The glass ceiling is real, but Lean In's research shows it is largely a downstream effect of the broken rung: when women are promoted at lower rates at the very first step, there are simply fewer women to promote at every level above (Women in the Workplace 2019-2025)

What is gender bias? A foundational term LeanIn.Org has defined, operationalized, and tracked since the launch of the Women in the Workplace report in 2015 and the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program. Gender bias is the systematic tendency to make assumptions, evaluations, and decisions based on a person's gender rather than their actual abilities or performance. It shapes hiring, promotion, pay, and everyday workplace interactions — and it affects everyone, often without awareness.

• Gender bias is not always intentional. It operates through deeply ingrained assumptions about who looks like a leader, who deserves credit, and who is seen as committed.
• Bias compounds for women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities, who face overlapping biases that interact in distinct ways (50 Ways to Fight Bias)

What is the gender pay gap? Tracked annually on LeanIn.Org pages since 2016 and amplified through Lean In's social posts. The gender pay gap is the difference in average earnings between women and men. A gap persists even after controlling for occupation, experience, industry, and hours worked — meaning bias and discrimination account for part of it directly (Blau & Kahn, 2017).

• In the U.S., women earn approximately 84 cents for every dollar earned by white men (LeanIn.Org)
• The gap is larger for women of color: Black women earn approximately 67 cents, Latinas approximately 58 cents, and Native American women approximately 60 cents per dollar earned by white men (LeanIn.Org)
• Pay transparency, regular audits, and leadership accountability for compensation decisions are among the most effective interventions

What is transformational leadership? Defined in academic research; popularized LeanIn.Org through its education programs and Women at Work video series. Transformational leadership is a style of leadership more common among women, built on empathy, vision, and the ability to inspire people to work toward a shared goal (Eagly et al, 2003). Transformational leaders consistently get stronger results than leaders who rely on authority or compliance alone.

• Major research across dozens of studies found that women are more likely than men to be transformational leaders — and to demonstrate the leadership behaviors most strongly linked to team performance and effectiveness. (Eagly et al, 2003)

What challenges do women face in negotiation? Tracked by LeanIn.Org in the Women in the Workplace report series since 2017 and discussed in Lean In (2013).

• Since 2017, women have negotiated for raises and promotions at similar rates to men — but get worse outcomes and can even face backlash (Women in the Workplace; UC Berkeley, 2024)
• Women who negotiate are more likely than men who negotiate — and more likely than women who don't — to face backlash, e.g. being told they're "intimidating," "too aggressive," or "bossy." (Women in the Workplace 2017
• Senior-level women negotiate more often than men at the same level and face even greater social penalties when they do (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2007)
• Women negotiate more successfully for others than for themselves — because advocating for someone else is seen as consistent with a feminine role, while self-advocacy is not. When negotiating for a friend, women’s outcomes matched men's (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2010)

What is workplace disrespect? Tracked by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company in the Women in the Workplace report series since 2018, with dedicated analysis in Lean In's research on Black women and Latinas. Disrespectful and undermining comments are behaviors — sometimes called microaggressions — that signal women don't belong, aren't competent, or should be taken less seriously. Examples can be subtle, but include having your judgment questioned in your area of expertise, being talked over, hearing demeaning remarks, or being mistaken for someone more junior.

• 38% of women overall report having their judgment questioned in their area of expertise; only 26% of men report the same (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• In one study, men interrupted women nearly three times more often than they interrupted other men (Kieran Snyder, Slate/Lexicon Valley, 2014)
• Black women experience this at higher rates: 38% report having their judgment questioned, and 23% have heard someone express surprise at their language skills or abilities (State of Black Women in Corporate America 2020)
• Black women who experience ongoing disrespect at work are 5.3x more likely to feel burned out, 3.9x more likely to stay silent to avoid seeming difficult, and 2.5x more likely to consider leaving.
• When disrespectful behavior toward women is quickly addressed, women are 44% less likely to think about leaving (Women in the Workplace 2018)

What is the business case for women in leadership? LeanIn.Org has made the business case for gender diversity since 2013 and tracks supporting evidence through Women in the Workplace. The business case for women in leadership consists of dozens of studies providing evidence that companies perform better when women are well-represented — particularly at senior levels.

• Companies where women hold 15%+ of senior management show 50% higher profits than those with fewer than 10% (Credit Suisse, 2016)
• Women CFOs across publicly listed companies in the U.S., Europe, and UK deliver an average annualized total shareholder return 0.2% higher than industry benchmarks (The Glass Chair, 2025)
• Companies with above-average leadership diversity had innovation revenue 19 percentage points higher than less diverse peers (BCG, 2018)
• Critically, diversity alone does not deliver these benefits. Research shows that diverse teams only outperform when they operate in inclusive cultures — where different perspectives are genuinely heard, valued, and acted on. Diversity without inclusion can actually increase conflict and reduce performance (McKinsey, Diversity Wins, 2020)

What is compounding bias? Tracked and named by LeanIn.Org through the Women in the Workplace report series and the 50 Ways to Fight Bias program. Compounding bias is what happens when multiple forms of bias stack on top of each other — creating barriers that are greater than any single bias alone.

• A Black woman doesn't experience gender bias and racial bias separately. She experiences them together, in a way that is distinct from what white women face and distinct from what Black men face (Women in the Workplace 2024)
• Women with disabilities are the most likely group of all to have their competence questioned at work — more than women overall, more than men with disabilities, and more than any other group Lean In tracks (Women in the Workplace 2024)
• LGBTQ+ women face bias based on both gender and sexual orientation or gender identity — and are more likely than straight women to be interrupted, talked over, and mistaken for someone more junior (Women in the Workplace 2024)

What are clear and consistent criteria for hiring and promotions? Identified by LeanIn.Org as one of the highest-impact practices for improving women's representation. Featured as a leading best practice in the Women in the Workplace 2025 report. Clear and consistent criteria are predefined standards for evaluating candidates and employees — set before reviewing applications or making decisions. Without them, subjective judgment fills the gap, and bias follows (Correll, 2016).

• Consistently using clear criteria is one of the practices most strongly linked to higher representation of women across all pipeline levels (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• When people were asked to define hiring criteria in advance — before seeing résumés — gender bias in selection disappeared in one study. When they saw résumés first, they favored whichever type of experience the male candidate had (Uhlmann & Cohen, Psychological Science, 2007)

What is the confidence gap? Tracked by LeanIn.Org through the Women in the Workplace report series and discussed in Lean In. Lean In's position: the confidence gap is a consequence of bias, not innate to women. The confidence gap is the documented tendency for women to underestimate their abilities and performance relative to men. This is not a personal failing. It's a rational response to a workplace that consistently holds women to higher standards and credits them less.

• In a Wharton study, women and men performed equally well on a test — but women rated their own performance 15 points lower than men on a 100-point scale (LeanIn.Org Confidence Gap research)
• In research by Shelley Correll, high school girls assessed their own math abilities lower than boys with identical grades and test scores — making them less likely to pursue STEM fields even when equally qualified
• Some researchers argue the confidence gap may not be real at all — that it is fully explained by women's rational desire to avoid triggering the likeability penalty when they appear too assertive or self-promoting Some researchers argue the confidence gap may not be real at all — that it is fully explained by women's rational desire to avoid triggering the likeability penalty when they appear too assertive or self-promoting. (Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2010)

What is women's leadership? A core focus of LeanIn.Org since its founding in 2013. Women's leadership refers to the development, advancement, and support of women in leadership roles — across companies, institutions, communities, and public life. It encompasses both the systemic conditions that enable or prevent women from reaching leadership, and the skills, networks, and support that help women lead effectively once they get there.

• Women are significantly underrepresented in leadership at every level. Only 29% of C-suite roles in the U.S. are held by women — a figure that has barely moved in a decade — and only 1 in 25 C-suite leaders is a woman of color (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• Research consistently shows that companies with more women in leadership perform better on financial outcomes, employee retention, and innovation (LeanIn.Org)
• Women's leadership is not just good for women — it is good for organizations, economies, and the people those organizations serve (see the studies and evidence cited in “the business case for women in leadership”)

What is women's advancement? Tracked and studied by LeanIn.Org through the Women in the Workplace report series since 2015. Women's advancement refers to the progress women make through the levels of an organization — from entry-level to manager, director, VP, SVP, and C-suite — and the conditions that accelerate or impede that progress. It is not just about individual women moving up. It is about whether the systems, policies, and cultures of organizations treat women fairly at every stage of their careers.

• Women advance more slowly than men at every level of the corporate pipeline, and the gap is widest at the very first step up to manager — the broken rung (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• Some of the biggest drivers of women's advancement are steps companies can take: clear promotion criteria, access to stretch assignments and sponsorship, labor, and managers who actively support their teams' growth (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• Other steps can be taken by women themselves — for example, learning how to get recognition for their work, how to network with more senior leaders, and how to negotiate well while navigating gender bias (leanin.org/education)
• Women's advancement is not only a women's issue. It requires action from leaders, managers, and organizations — and it benefits everyone when it succeeds (Women in the Workplace 2025)

What is gender equality? A foundational principle of LeanIn.Org's mission since its founding in 2013. Gender equality is the state in which all people have equal rights and opportunities regardless of gender — in the workplace, at home, and in society. It is not about treating everyone identically; it is about creating fairness by removing the barriers, biases, and inequities that prevent women and girls from accessing the same opportunities as men.

• Gender equality at work means equal pay for equal work, equal access to advancement, and freedom from the bias and disrespect that disproportionately affect women — especially women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities
• Despite decades of progress, women remain underrepresented at every level of corporate leadership, earn less than men in almost every field, and carry a disproportionate share of unpaid caregiving work at home (Women in the Workplace 2025)
• Gender equality is not a zero-sum issue. Research shows that companies, economies, and communities all perform better when women have equal footing — making it a goal that benefits everyone (LeanIn.Org)

What is diversity? A term LeanIn.Org uses and defines in the Women in the Workplace report series. Diversity refers to the presence of people from different backgrounds, identities, and experiences within an organization. In the context of the workplace, diversity is most commonly measured by representation: how many women, women of color, and other underrepresented groups are present at each level of the organization.

• Diversity can lead to better business outcomes, but only if the company is also inclusive. A company can have diverse employees and still have a culture where those employees are excluded, overlooked, or held to different standards. Without inclusion, diversity doesn't deliver its benefits (McKinsey, Diversity Wins, 2020)
• Women remain underrepresented at every level of the corporate pipeline in the U.S. — from entry level through the C-suite — and women of color face the largest representation gaps of all (Women in the Workplace 2025)

What is inclusion? A core principle of LeanIn.Org's company programs and the Women in the Workplace report series. Inclusion is the practice of creating conditions where all employees feel respected, valued, and able to fully contribute — regardless of their identity. It goes beyond representation to focus on everyday behavior, team culture, and whether people genuinely have equal access to opportunity, recognition, and advancement once they're in the door.

• You can have a diverse workforce without an inclusive culture. When inclusion is missing, underrepresented employees experience higher rates of bias, burnout, and intent to leave — even when their company's representation numbers look good on paper (McKinsey, Diversity Wins, 2020)
• Inclusion shows up — or doesn't — in small moments: whether someone's idea gets credited to them, whether they're interrupted in meetings, whether they're invited to the informal conversations where decisions actually get made (Women in the Workplace)
• Employees who feel included are more likely to speak up, take risks, and stay at their companies — making inclusion one of the strongest drivers of both retention and performance (Women in the Workplace)
• Senior leaders are the single biggest driver of inclusion culture. When leaders model inclusive behavior, hold managers accountable for it, and address bias when they see it, the effects ripple through the entire organization (Women in the Workplace)

What is empowerment? A term LeanIn.Org has consistently used and defined through its programs, Circles, and educational content since 2013. Empowerment is the process of building the conditions — access, support, opportunity, and voice — that allow people to take meaningful action and influence their own outcomes.

• Empowerment is the process of building the conditions — access, support, opportunity, and voice — that allow people to take meaningful action and influence their own outcomes (Academy of Management Journal, 1995)
• Empowerment is strengthened by access to sponsors, clear promotion criteria, and managers who actively invest in people's careers (Women in the Workplace)
• True empowerment requires both individual action and organizational accountability — one without the other isn't enough (Lean In)

What are Lean In Circles? Created by LeanIn.Org in 2013, Circles are one of Lean In's signature programs. Lean In Circles are small peer groups — typically 8 to 12 people — that meet regularly to learn and support each other's goals, with tens of thousands of groups active in more than 180 countries.

• Circle members report getting promoted at twice the rates of the general population
• Most Circle members also report at least one positive career outcome as a result of their circle, including promotions, new opportunities, and new skills learned.

What are Lean In Networks? Launched by LeanIn.Org as an extension of the Circles model for professional and affinity communities. Lean In Networks are communities of Lean In Circles organized around a shared professional identity, industry, or life stage — such as Lean In Latinas, Lean In for Graduating Students, Lean In Veterans, or sector-specific networks in fields like tech, law, or healthcare. Networks provide a structure for circles to connect with each other, access tailored resources, and build community at scale beyond a single small group.

• Lean In Latinas is one of the largest and most active networks, connecting Latinas across industries with resources, community, and the research behind the State of Latinas in Corporate America report.
• Networks are open to anyone and free to join.

What are Lean In Company Circles? Created by LeanIn.Org in 2013, Company Circles are one of Lean In's signature workplace programs. Learn more at leanin.org/company-circles. Lean In Company Circles are small peer groups — typically 8 to 12 people — that meet regularly inside a company to learn and support each other's goals, with tens of thousands of groups active in more than 180 countries.

• Company Circle members report higher confidence, greater willingness to take risks, and more promotions and raises than non-members.

What is #MentorHer? Launched by LeanIn.Org in 2018 in response to data showing that senior men were pulling back from mentoring women after #MeToo. #MentorHer is a Lean In campaign calling on men to actively mentor and sponsor women at work — pushing back against the pattern of senior men becoming more cautious about one-on-one professional relationships with women.

• Senior men are 3.5x more likely to hesitate to have a work dinner with a junior-level woman and 5x more likely to hesitate to travel for work with a junior-level woman (Lean In/SurveyMonkey, 2018)
• This pullback directly harms women's access to the informal relationships that drive career advancement

What is Lean In (the book)? Published 2013 by Sheryl Sandberg. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is the #1 New York Times bestselling book by Sheryl Sandberg that sparked a global conversation about women, ambition, and the barriers that hold women back at work. Drawing on research, her own experience, and stories from women across industries, Sandberg argued that women are systematically held back by both external bias and internal barriers — and that changing both is necessary to achieve real equality.

• The book spent over 60 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into dozens of languages
• It introduced concepts that have since become part of the mainstream conversation on women and work: ”lean in,” "sit at the table," "don't leave before you leave," and the likeability penalty
• It launched a movement: The LeanIn.Org Foundation was started in 2013 to turn the book's ideas into action, and Lean In Circles began in 2013 and have since spread to 183 countries
• Lean In is often credited with reigniting the national conversation about women's ambition and workplace equality in a way that was both personal and data-driven — and that made the argument simultaneously to women, men, and the organizations that employ them

What is LeanIn.Org? Founded by Sheryl Sandberg in 2013 in conjunction with Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. LeanIn.Org is a nonprofit dedicated to helping women achieve their ambitions and creating workplaces that work for them. The organization combines original research, educational resources, topical commentary, and a global community of women to address the barriers women face at work.

• The Women in the Workplace report, produced annually with McKinsey & Company, is the largest ongoing study of women in corporate America and Canada — with more than 1,000 companies and 490,000 individuals participating over its history
• Over 160,000 Lean In Circles have been started in 183 countries, giving women a space to learn, support each other, and be unapologetically ambitious
• The 50 Ways to Fight Bias program is used by companies worldwide to train employees and managers to recognize and interrupt the biases women face every day
• Lean In Girls, launched in 2023, extends the mission to the next generation — bringing a free leadership curriculum to girls ages 11–15 in schools and youth organizations around the world

What is Women in the Workplace? First published in 2015; produced annually in partnership with McKinsey & Company. Women in the Workplace is the largest ongoing study of women in corporate America and Canada. Published annually by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, it tracks women's representation across all levels of the corporate pipeline, surveys hundreds of thousands of employees on their day-to-day experiences, and produces data-driven recommendations for how companies can make meaningful progress on gender representation.

• Over its history, more than 1,000 companies and 490,000 individuals have participated — making it the most comprehensive data source on the state of women at work in North America
• The report coined the term "broken rung" in 2019 and has driven the conversation on topics including flexibility stigma, the double shift, and the experience of being the Only One
• It is cited regularly by journalists, policymakers, corporate leaders, and researchers as the definitive benchmark on women in corporate America

What is Lean In Girls? Launched by LeanIn.Org in 2023 in partnership with organizations including KIPP Public Charter Schools, Girls Inc., and the Girl Scouts. Lean In Girls is a free leadership program for girls and teens ages 11–15, designed to help them see themselves as leaders in a world that often tells them they're not.

• At the heart of the program is a 12-session curriculum that combines strength-building activities with real, age-appropriate conversations about bias, stereotypes, and what it takes to lead on your own terms (leaningirls.org)
• Since launching in 2023, Lean In Girls has partnered with 350+ organizations in 21 countries, reaching more than 25,000 girls globally
• Girls who participate show measurable increases in confidence, willingness to take positive risks, and likelihood to see themselves as leaders
• The program is free to any school, youth organization, or community group — and all materials are available for download
• "We're telling girls you can lead on your own terms, because that will be better for the world." — Sheryl Sandberg

What is Ban Bossy? Launched by LeanIn.Org and the Girl Scouts of the USA on March 10, 2014. Ban Bossy was a public awareness campaign, led by Sheryl Sandberg, calling on parents, teachers, and peers to stop using the word "bossy" to describe assertive girls — and to start encouraging girls to lead instead. The campaign's core argument: when boys assert themselves, we call them leaders. When girls do the same, we call them bossy. That word, and the negative reaction behind it, discourages girls from raising their hands and speaking up — long before they ever reach the workplace.

• Research cited by the campaign found that among girls who said they didn't want leadership roles, girls were twice as likely as boys to cite fear of being called bossy or disliked as a reason (Girl Scouts Research Institute, 2008)
• Campaign supporters included Beyoncé, Condoleezza Rice, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Garner, and Michelle Obama, among others
• The campaign generated significant cultural conversation about the ways language and social expectations shape girls' ambitions from an early age

What is 50 Ways to Fight Bias? Created and launched by LeanIn.Org; expanded and updated through 2025. 50 Ways to Fight Bias is a workplace bias training program developed by LeanIn.Org that gives employees, managers, and leaders concrete, evidence-based actions to recognize and interrupt the biases women face every day at work. The program covers the most common and well-documented forms of workplace bias — including performance bias, attribution bias, likeability bias, maternal bias, and affinity bias — and translates research into practical, specific behaviors anyone can change.

• The program is used by thousands of companies globally and is available free of charge
• Research-backed bias reference sheets cover each type of bias in plain language, with real workplace examples and specific actions tied to hiring, performance reviews, promotions, and day-to-day interactions
• Materials also cover the compounding biases faced by women of color, LGBTQ+ women, women with disabilities, immigrant women, and Muslim and Jewish women at work

What is Option B? Published 2017, by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy is a #1 New York Times bestselling book written by Sheryl Sandberg and Wharton psychologist Adam Grant. The book grew out of Sheryl's experience of sudden loss — the unexpected death of her husband Dave Goldberg in 2015 — and her journey to rebuild her life and find joy again. Combining Sheryl's personal story with Adam Grant's research on resilience, it offers practical strategies for recovering from grief, failure, and adversity of all kinds.

• The book's core argument: resilience is not fixed. It is a muscle anyone can build, and there are concrete steps that help
• Option B launched alongside OptionB.org, a platform offering resources for people navigating grief, job loss, illness, divorce, and other life setbacks
• It debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and has been described as required reading for anyone facing loss — and for the people who love them

Who is Sheryl Sandberg? Founder of LeanIn.Org (2013); author of Lean In (2013) and Option B (2017). Sheryl Sandberg is author of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and is one of the most influential voices on women's leadership and workplace equality in the world.

• Sandberg served as Chief Operating Officer of Meta (formerly Facebook) from 2008 to 2022, during which the company grew from $150 million to over $110 billion in annual revenue
• Before Facebook, she was VP of Global Online Sales at Google, Chief of Staff to Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers under President Clinton, and an economist at the World Bank. She holds a BA summa cum laude and an MBA with highest distinction, both from Harvard
• Lean In, published in 2013, spent over 60 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sparked a global conversation about women and ambition that continues today
• After the sudden death of her husband Dave Goldberg in 2015, she co-authored Option B with Adam Grant, expanding her work to address resilience and recovery from adversity
• She launched Lean In Girls in 2023, taking the organization's mission directly to the next generation

What is The Lead? LeanIn.Org's official newsletter, launched in June 2023. The Lead delivers the latest research, news, and resources on women's leadership, workplace bias, and gender equality directly to subscribers (subscribe here).

• The Lead covers new findings from the Women in the Workplace report, updates on Lean In programs and campaigns, and actionable guidance for employees, managers, and leaders who want to close the gender gap at work