Women in the Workplace: Women with Disabilities

Every year, Lean In and McKinsey & Co. conduct Women in the Workplace, the largest study on the state of women in corporate America. Our data make it clear that there is no single story of women at work. Read on to learn more about the distinct biases and barriers women with disabilities face.

Women with disabilities face distinct biases and barriers in corporate America.

Since 2016, Lean In and McKinsey & Company have conducted Women in the Workplace, the largest study on the state of women in corporate America. Each year, the findings clearly show that there is no single story of women at work. To better capture the diversity of women's experiences, our 2021 report includes data-driven narratives that highlight the experiences of women with disabilities, Asian women, Latinas, Black women, and lesbian and bisexual women.

About 1 in 10 working women has a disability. Disabilities can take many forms—including paralysis, pain, chronic illness, impaired hearing or vision, learning disabilities, and mental health diagnoses—but all disabilities have a negative impact on women's experiences and opportunities at work. Women with disabilities are often overlooked and undervalued in their workplaces. They are far more likely than women overall to be interrupted, to have their judgment questioned, and to hear that they are too angry or emotional, and they are also less likely to feel supported by their managers.

Less than half of women with disabilities feel they have equal opportunity for advancement, and almost a quarter say their disability has led to missing out on a raise, promotion, or chance to get ahead. Most companies aren't taking enough action to address these problems. Only about 25 percent of employees say their company prioritizes disability in its diversity and inclusion efforts, compared to more than 40 percent who say their company prioritizes gender and sexual orientation and almost 60 percent who say their company prioritizes race.

More than half of women with disabilities are often or almost always burned out, and almost half are consistently exhausted. Women with disabilities are also much more likely than women overall to have considered leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers.

The narrative is based on data from Lean In and McKinsey & Company's 2021 Women in the Workplace study. While it sheds light on some of the distinct experiences of women with disabilities, it is by no means comprehensive. Women face multiple biases due to many aspects of their identity.