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Women in the Workplace 2022

Women in the Workplace 2022

About the study

Women in the Workplace is the largest study on the state of women in corporate America.1 In 2015, LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company launched the study to give companies insights and tools to advance gender diversity in the workplace. Between 2015 and 2022, over 810 companies participated in the study, and more than 400,000 people were surveyed on their workplace experiences. This year, we collected information from 333 participating organizations employing more than 12 million people, surveyed more than 40,000 employees, and conducted interviews with women of diverse identities, including women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities.2 Our 2022 report focuses on how the pandemic has changed what women want from their companies, including the growing importance of opportunity, flexibility, employee well-being, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

woman at work

Table of Contents

Introduction

We’re in midst of a “Great Breakup”

There are always winners and losers in the war for talent, and the stakes are higher than ever for companies that want to achieve gender equality.

Women are demanding more from work, and they’re leaving their companies in unprecedented numbers to get it. Women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rate we’ve ever seen—and at a higher rate than men in leadership.3 This could have serious implications for companies. Women are already significantly underrepresented in leadership. For years, fewer women have risen through the ranks because of the “broken rung” at the first step up to manager.4 Now, companies are struggling to hold on to the relatively few women leaders they have. And all of these dynamics are even more pronounced for women of color.

The reasons women leaders are stepping away from their companies are telling. Women leaders are just as ambitious as men, but at many companies they face headwinds that make it harder to advance.5 They’re more likely to experience belittling microaggressions, such as having their judgment questioned or being mistaken for someone more junior. They’re doing more to support employee well-being and foster inclusion, but this critical work is spreading them thin and going mostly unrewarded. And finally, it’s increasingly important to women leaders that they work for companies that prioritize flexibility, employee well-being, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

If companies don’t take action, they won’t just lose their women leaders; they risk losing the next generation of women leaders, too. Young women are even more ambitious, and they place a higher premium on working in an equitable, supportive, and inclusive workplace.6 They’re watching senior women leave for better opportunities, and they’re prepared to do the same.

Part 1

The state of the pipeline

Women and men in conversation around office table

Section I

Two pipeline challenges put gender equality out of reach for most companies

Companies have a new pipeline problem

Despite modest gains in representation over the last eight years, women—and especially women of color—are still dramatically underrepresented in corporate America. And this is especially true in senior leadership: only 1 in 4 C-suite leaders is a woman, and only 1 in 20 is a woman of color. Moreover, most companies are grappling with two pipeline problems that make achieving gender equality in their organization all but impossible:

The “broken rung” remains broken. For the eighth consecutive year, a “broken rung” at the first step up to manager is holding women back. For every 100 men who are promoted from entry level to manager, only 87 women are promoted, and only 82 women of color are promoted. As a result, men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, and women can never catch up. There are simply too few women to promote into senior leadership positions.7

More women leaders are leaving their companies. Now companies have a new pipeline problem. Women leaders are leaving their companies at the highest rate in years, and the gap between women and men leaders leaving is the largest we’ve ever seen. To put the scale of the problem in perspective: for every woman at the director level who gets promoted to the next level, two women directors are choosing to leave their company.

Woman sitting with open book at table in office setting

Many women are switching jobs for better opportunities, but some are considering downshifting and leaving the workforce. In the past year, 29% of women—and 22% of men—have thought about reducing their hours, taking a less demanding job, or leaving the workforce altogether, although far fewer have actually taken these actions.

Despite modest progress, women are still dramatically underrepresented in leadership

When I joined this company, I noticed there were a lot of women and people of color in leadership. That let me know it was possible for me to advance. When you come into a company and there are leaders who look like you, it just feels different.”

—BLACK WOMAN, MANAGER
Chart showing representation of white men, men of color, white women, and women of color across 6 levels: Entry level, Manager, Director, VP, SVP, and C-suite. Representation of women decreases as the levels increase. At entry level, women are almost half of employees; by C-suite they are only about a quarter. More data showing changes to the representation of women at each level are in the data table below.

The “broken rung” is still holding women back

The biggest obstacle women face on the path to senior leadership is at the first step up to manager. For every 100 men promoted from entry level to manager, only 87 women are promoted, and only 82 women of color are promoted.9 As a result, men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, and women can never catch up. There are simply too few women to promote into senior leadership positions.

Woman in office setting speaking to man colleague

Some groups of women are even less likely to be promoted to manager. For every 100 men promoted from entry level to manager, only 75 Latinas are promoted—and this number is even lower for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous women.

Chart showing that for every 100 men promoted from entry level to manager, 87 women and 82 women of color are promoted.

Women leaders are leaving their companies at higher rates

For the first time in my career, we’re seeing people leaving and going to companies with a more generous work from home policy. So I dug into the data, and I realized something about every single person leaving. They were all women.”

—BLACK WOMAN, VICE PRESIDENT
Line chart showing rate of women and men leaders choosing to leave their jobs (aka voluntary attrition) from 2017 through 2021. In 2021, women left at their highest rate so far, and the gap between women and men is larger than previous years.
Woman engineer in lab working with tools

A closer look

Women remain deeply underrepresented in technical roles

Women are far less likely than men to work in engineering and technical fields, and women’s relative representation in these jobs is lower than it was in 2018.12 As a result, women in technical roles are twice as likely as women overall to say they are frequently the only woman in the room at work. The fact that they are so often “Only” women may partly explain why women in tech face higher rates of bias: they are more likely than women in non-technical roles to have their judgment questioned in their area of expertise and to say their gender has played a role in their being passed over for a chance to get ahead.

These trends have troubling implications for gender equality. Engineering and technical roles are among corporate America’s fastest-growing and highest-paid job categories.13 If women in these roles have negative day-to-day experiences and don’t see an equal path to advancement, it could lead to larger gaps in both representation and earnings between women and men overall.

32% of women n technical and engineering roles are often the only woman in the room at work.

The engineering field is almost all men, and it has been for a long time. When I was at university, there were just five women in a room of sixty men. And when I started working, it was like that too. So it’s a very challenging environment.”

LATINA, MANAGER, IMMIGRANT



Line chart showing percentage of women and men employees who are in technical or engineering roles according to the employee survey in 2018 and 2022. More men are in these positions in 2022, but the percentage of women has mostly stayed the same. Because of this, the gap between men and women is now wider and men are two and a half times as likely as women to be in these roles.

Part 2

Why women leaders are switching jobs

Women sitting at table in office conference room

Section II

Women leaders are leaving their companies for three key reasons

Women leaders are demanding more from their companies, and they’re increasingly willing to switch jobs to get it. Three primary factors are driving their decisions to leave:

Women leaders want to advance, but they face stronger headwinds than men. Women leaders are as likely as men at their level to want to be promoted and aspire to senior-level roles. In many companies, however, they experience microaggressions that undermine their authority and signal that it will be harder for them to advance. For example, they are far more likely than men leaders to have colleagues question their judgment or imply that they aren’t qualified for their jobs. Women leaders are also more likely to report that personal characteristics, such as their gender or being a parent, have played a role in them being denied or passed over for a raise, promotion, or chance to get ahead.

Women leaders are 2x as likely as men leaders to be mistaken for someone more junior.

37% of women leaders have had a coworker get credit for their idea, compared to 27% of men leaders.

South Asian woman in an office setting

’ve asked many times what I can do to get promoted, and I don’t get a good answer. I’m thinking of leaving. And it will be my company’s loss since they didn’t offer me the opportunity to advance. I hit a ceiling that didn’t need to be there.”

—South Asian woman, senior manager, immigrant
Mother talking to two children as they leave the house

Burnout from management responsibilities and unsustainable workload has made me more ambitious, but not in the same way. I’m more ambitious about going after something different. I’m more ambitious about making a career change or going after something where I feel more fulfilled.”

—WHITE WOMAN, SENIOR MANAGER

Women leaders are overworked and under-recognized. Compared to men at their level, women leaders do more to support employee well-being and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion—work that dramatically improves retention and employee satisfaction, but is not formally rewarded in most companies.14 Spending time and energy on work that isn’t recognized could make it harder for women leaders to advance. It also means that women leaders are stretched thinner than men in leadership; not surprisingly, women leaders are far more likely than men at their level to be burned out.

Women leaders are 2x as likely as men leaders to spend substantial time on DEI work.15

40% of women leaders say their DEI work isn’t acknowledged at all in performance reviews.16

43% of women leaders are burned out, compared to only 31% of men at their level.

Women leaders want a better work culture. Women leaders are significantly more likely than men leaders to leave their jobs because they want more flexibility or because they want to work for a company that is more committed to employee well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusion.17 And over the last two years, these factors have only become more meaningful to women leaders.18

If companies don’t take action in response to these trends, they’re at risk of losing more women leaders. That could have serious implications. Compared to men at the same level, women leaders are investing more time and energy in effective people management, allyship, and DEI.19 They are leading the transition to a more supportive, inclusive workplace, which is what the next generation of employees—and especially younger women—want and expect.

49% of women leaders say flexibility is one of the top three things they consider when deciding whether to join or stay with a company, compared to 34% of men leaders.

Women leaders are more than 1.5x as men at their level to have left a previous job because they wanted to work for a company that was more committed to DEI.

Profile of woman sitting in office setting

I think people have come through the pandemic feeling a bit more empowered. We’ve realized that being in a toxic environment where you’re not happy is just not worth it.”

—BLACK WOMAN, VICE PRESIDENT

Companies are also at risk of losing young women

The factors that drive women leaders to leave their companies are even more important to young women. Young women care deeply about opportunity to advance—more than two-thirds of women under 30 want to be senior leaders, and well over half say advancement has become more important to them in the past two years.20 Young women are also more likely than women leaders to say they’re increasingly prioritizing flexibility and company commitment to well-being and DEI. Companies that don’t take action may struggle to recruit and retain the next generation of women leaders—and for companies that already have a “broken rung” in their leadership pipeline, this has especially worrisome implications.

Two-thirds of women under 30 say they would be more interested in advancing if they saw senior leaders with the work-life balance they want.

Young women play a critical role in building diverse and inclusive teams. They are more likely than older women to be women of color and identify as LGBTQ+.21 They are also more likely than both older employees and men in their age group to actively practice allyship at work.

Two-part chart showing that the factors driving women leaders to leave their jobs are even more important to young women. On one side is a chart showing the percentages of women and men leaders who name different reasons for leaving, out of those who switched jobs in the last two years. Men and women leaders are both most likely to say they left for more opportunity to advance, but women leaders were more likely than men to say they left for more flexibility, company commitment to DEI, having an unsupportive manager, and having an unmanageable workload. On the other side is a chart showing the percentage of women who say certain things have become more important to them in the last two years. Young women are even more likely than women leaders to say that issues like flexibility, company commitment to DEI, manager support, and commitment to employee well-being are more important now.

A closer look

Black women leaders are more ambitious but face greater barriers to advancement

Black women leaders are more ambitious than other women at their level: 59 percent of Black women leaders want to be top executives, compared to 49 percent of women leaders overall. But they are also more likely than women leaders of other races and ethnicities to receive signals that it will be harder for them to advance. Compared to other women at their level, Black women leaders are more likely to have colleagues question their competence and to be subjected to demeaning behavior—and 1 in 3 Black women leaders says they’ve been denied or passed over for opportunities because of personal characteristics, including their race and gender.24

Older Black woman sitting in meeting

When I was promoted to a senior role, I heard comments like, ‘You must have gotten that role because you’re Black.’ A few people actually said this to my face.”

BLACK WOMAN, MANAGER, BISEXUAL
Chart showing that Black women leaders are more likely than women leaders overall and men leaders to have experienced microaggressions that undermine them at work, like having someone say or imply that you’re not qualified.
Woman in office setting

A closer look

Women leaders are also overworked at home

Women at all levels are far more likely than men to be responsible for most or all of their family’s housework and caregiving. But the imbalance is especially stark between men and women in leadership roles. Among entry-level employees, women are about twice as likely as men to be doing all of this work; among employees in leadership, the gap nearly doubles.

In their words

I know that most men in the C-suite have a stay-at-home spouse. My CEO, he’s a nice guy. But he doesn’t have kids at home. He’s not thinking about the logistical challenges of having to look after your family.”

—WHITE WOMAN, SENIOR MANAGER, PHYSICAL DISABILITY


Chart showing that as men and women advance into more senior roles, men do less household labor, but women don’t have the same experience. At the entry level, women have more household responsibilities than men. At higher levels, men’s household responsibilities decrease, but women’s mostly stay the same.
Woman standing with arms crossed

Section II

An intersectional look at women’s experiences

Some women face more bias and receive less support at work

Many women experience bias not only because of their gender, but also because of their race, sexual orientation, a disability, or other aspects of their identity—and the compounded discrimination can be much greater than the sum of its parts. As a result, these groups of women often experience more microaggressions and face more barriers to advancement. It’s critical that companies and coworkers are aware of these dynamics so they can more effectively promote equity and inclusion for all women.

As I was progressing through my career, people kept telling me I needed to have ‘executive presence.’ And what they really meant was I needed to look the part. I needed to have the right clothing, I needed to look feminine enough. That was always a challenge for me, because I didn’t follow the typical feminine dress code.”

—WHITE WOMAN, SENIOR MANAGER, LESBIAN


Woman sitting at desk in office

Although no study can fully capture the experiences of women with traditionally marginalized identities, this year’s findings point to these distinct experiences:

Women of color are more ambitious despite getting less support. Forty-one percent of women of color want to be top executives, compared to 27 percent of white women.

Latinas and Black women are less likely than women of other races and ethnicities to say their manager shows interest in their career development. They also tend to feel less psychological safety26—for example, less than half of Latinas and Black women say people on their team aren’t penalized for mistakes.

Asian women and Black women are less likely to have strong allies on their teams.27 They are also less likely than white women to say senior colleagues have taken important sponsorship actions on their behalf, such as publicly praising their skills or advocating for a compensation increase for them.

These are only some of the many groups of women who often have worse experiences at work due to intersecting and compounding biases. We surveyed women with a wide range of other traditionally marginalized identities—including Indigenous women, Middle Eastern women, mixed-race women, and transgender women, to name just a few—as well as women with multiple intersecting identities. However, due to small sample sizes, we are only able to report on findings for the following groups: Asian women, Black women, Latinas, all women of color, all LGBTQ+ women, and all women with disabilities.

Woman sitting working on laptop

Women with disabilities often have their competence challenged and undermined. They are significantly more likely than other groups of women to have their judgment questioned in their area of expertise and to have colleagues get credit for their ideas.

LGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities are more likely to experience demeaning and “othering” microaggressions.28 Compared to women overall, they are more likely to have colleagues comment on their appearance or tell them that they “look mad” or “should smile more.”

Latinas and Asian women are more likely than women of other races and ethnicities to have colleagues comment on their culture or nationality—for example, by asking where they’re “really from.”

Heatmap showing that women with traditionally marginalized identities often have a worse experience at work. Much of the data reinforces the previous text, showing that Latinas and Black women are less likely to get manager support and have less psychological safety, Asian and Black women are less likely to have sponsors and allies, women with disabilities are more likely to have their competence challenged, and LGBTQ+ women, women with disabilities, Asian women, and Latinas are more likely to hear certain demeaning and othering comments like having others comment on their appearance in a way that makes them uncomfortable.

In their words

Someone I work with went behind my back and told my VP that I was having personal conversations in Spanish on the clock. They said I wasn’t working. That simply wasn’t true. I was speaking Spanish on the job because I manage an entire region that is Spanish-speaking. I was so demoralized. I thought, ‘Why even go to work if I’m going to be bullied and harassed about the language I’m speaking?’”

—LATINA, MANAGER, PHYSICAL DISABILITY

There have been times when I’ve been excluded from a work-related conversation just because it’s easier for other people not to have to gender me correctly. That’s happened a couple times. There have been discussions within my sphere of responsibility and I know the answer, but my colleagues go around me.”

—WHITE NONBINARY INDIVIDUAL, MANAGER
Woman in hijab looking at camera
Black woman sitting in meeting

A coworker asked me, ‘Where are you from?’ And I replied with the name of the U.S. town where I grew up. And then they asked, ‘Where are you really from?’ These are the conversations they teach you in diversity training not to have, but here I am having this conversation.”

—SOUTHEAST ASIAN WOMAN, SENIOR MANAGER, IMMIGRANT

Being the only Black person in my workplace made me think, ‘What am I getting myself into?’ I feel that I can never mess up. There’s that voice in my head saying, ‘You know you’re the first. If you mess up, what is that going to do to the next Black person? Are they going to be judged differently?’”

—BLACK WOMAN, MANAGER, BISEXUAL

Part 3

Flexibility and remote and hybrid work

Woman at dining room table working on laptop and talking on phone

Section I

Remote and hybrid work are game-changing for women

Two years after the pandemic forced corporate America into a massive experiment with flexible work, enthusiasm for flexibility in all its forms is higher than ever. A vast majority of employees want to work for companies that offer remote or hybrid work options. Only 7 percent of companies plan to pull back on remote and hybrid work in the next year, and 32 percent say these options are likely to expand.

Although remote and hybrid won’t work for all companies or all roles, it’s clear that these new modes of working are here to stay. As companies continue to navigate this transition, there are three key things they should keep in mind:

Choice is critical. Employees who can choose to work in the arrangement they prefer—whether remote or on-site—are less burned out, happier in their jobs, and much less likely to consider leaving their companies. This points to the importance of giving employees agency and choice when possible; a one-size-fits-all approach to flexible work won’t work for all employees.

I think working remotely has made it easier to deal with bias and disrespect. After a meeting, I can go sit outside for a few minutes and take deep breaths. I can turn off my camera and cry. Working remotely has really improved my mental health.”

—WHITE WOMAN, MANAGER, LESBIAN, REMOTE WORKER
Woman sitting in meeting

Women who work in a different arrangement from their teammates may get less support. Women who work remotely significantly more often than their colleagues—or on-site significantly more than their colleagues—are less likely to report that their manager supports their well-being and shows interest in their career.

Woman sitting in home-office working on laptop

71% of HR leaders say remote work has helped their organization hire and retain more employees from diverse backgrounds.

Remote and hybrid work can offer a reprieve from bias, but it’s not a substitute for systemic change. On one hand, it’s positive that women are experiencing fewer microaggressions when they work remotely. On the other hand, it’s deeply problematic. Regardless of where they work, all women deserve to feel valued and included. Companies cannot rely on remote and hybrid work as a solution; they need to invest in creating a truly inclusive culture.

The option to work remotely is especially important to women. Only 1 in 10 women wants to work35 mostly on-site, and many women point to remote and hybrid work options as one of their top reasons for joining or staying with an organization.36 These preferences are about more than flexibility. When women work remotely at least some of the time, they experience fewer microaggressions and higher levels of psychological safety.37 The decrease in microaggressions is especially pronounced for women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities—groups who typically face more demeaning and othering behavior.

Although remote and hybrid work are delivering real benefits, they may also be creating new challenges. Most employees prefer working remotely at least some of the time. And most HR leaders say that offering flexible work options has helped diversify their talent pipelines and retain more employees from underrepresented groups. However, there are potential downsides to these new ways of working. A majority of companies are concerned that employees who work remotely feel less connected to their teams and say that remote and hybrid work are placing additional demands on managers. It’s also possible that employees who primarily work from home—who are more likely to be women—will get fewer opportunities for recognition and advancement.38

A majority of women prefer remote and hybrid work

Stacked bar charts showing that both women and men are more likely to say that they’d ideally work remotely at least half the time. Only 10% of women and 18% of men would ideally work mostly on-site.
East Asian woman in working at desk in home office

If there were another job offering me similar pay, but completely remote, I would consider it. My company had us return to the office two days a week. But in my role, I mainly just need to work quietly alone. When I go back to the office, I don’t feel as efficient. There are so many interruptions. I know the social aspect is important, but getting work done is also important.”

—EAST ASIAN WOMAN, MANAGER, HYBRID WORKER

Employees who can choose their work arrangements are less likely to leave

t’s important to me that my company treats people well and gives us flexibility. Those things were improving in the past, but the pandemic forced them to change faster. And now it’s become a requirement to attract talent. You can’t be the company that forces people to work the way you want them to work.”

—WHITE WOMAN, MANAGER, LESBIAN, MOSTLY REMOTE
Woman in office setting looking into camera
Bar chart showing that women work where they want to – that is, they work remotely and want to work remotely or they work on-site and want to work on-site – they’re more likely to be happy with their job, feel they have equal opportunity and less likely to want to leave their company or feel burned out.
Woman in office setting

Women experience fewer microaggressions when they work remotely at least some of the time

Some microaggressions just 100 percent don’t happen when I’m remote. A lot of people have said I should be worried about not having face time, but there’s another perspective, which is that people of color don’t want to be in a work environment where they don’t feel like they can be themselves.”

—BLACK WOMAN, VICE PRESIDENT, HYBRID WORKER
Chart showing women experience fewer demeaning or othering microaggressions when working mostly remotely than when they work mostly on-site. In addition to showing this for all women, results are shown for LGBTQ+ women, women with disabilities, and women of color, who are already more likely to experience othering microaggressions.
Woman with prosthetic leg working at desk

A closer look

Remote work options are especially critical for women with disabilities

The shift toward remote and hybrid work has been particularly beneficial for women with disabilities. Working at home can help women with disabilities be healthier and more productive, since it’s easier to manage mobility issues, chronic pain, and mental health conditions when you have more control over your work environment.

Women with disabilities also feel more respected and supported when they have the option to work remotely. They are less likely to experience certain microaggressions, such as hearing negative comments about their appearance or having colleagues openly question their qualifications. They are also more likely to say their manager trusts them to get their work done and that they feel comfortable talking openly with colleagues about their challenges.

I don’t think I could work full-time if I was required to be in the office. I think it is literally that life-changing to be remote for me.”

—WHITE WOMAN, ENTRY LEVEL, PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
Donut charts showing that women with disabilities who work mostly remotely are more likely than women with disabilities who work mostly on-site to say that their manager trusts them to get their work done without micromanaging them.

Disabilities may or may not be readily apparent in day-to-day interactions and can include a wide range of conditions such as physical disabilities, mental illness, neurodivergence, developmental disorders, and chronic health conditions that interfere with daily life.

Five steps companies can take to navigate the shift to remote and hybrid work

For companies that are transitioning to remote and hybrid work, it’s critical to ensure that these new modes of working work for everyone. This will require a mindset shift. It’s not enough to tweak old policies and practices; companies need to fundamentally rethink how work is done. To start, companies would be well served to focus their efforts in five general areas:

1. Clearly communicate plans and guidelines for flexible work

As remote and hybrid work policies continue to evolve, companies should take extra care to ensure that employees know what to expect and understand the rationale behind decisions. It’s important to share guidelines about who can work remotely and why, so people don’t feel they’re being treated unfairly. It’s also important that companies provide clear guidelines to help employees navigate the day-to-day complexities of remote and hybrid work; for example, establishing specific windows during which meetings can be scheduled and employees in different time zones are expected to be available.

2. Gather regular feedback from employees

It’s hard to navigate any major transition without understanding employees’ priorities and experiences. But only about half of companies have surveyed employees on their preferences for remote and hybrid work over the past year—which means they may not fully understand how policies are impacting different groups or how changes have been received. And as companies roll out new remote and hybrid work norms, they will want to keep a regular pulse on what’s working for employees and what needs to be improved.

3. Invest in fostering employee connectedness

This means being intentional about working norms—for example, having everyone join meetings via videoconference so it’s easier for employees to participate when they are working remotely. It also means finding new ways to foster camaraderie and connection. Making creative use of technology to facilitate watercooler style interactions and team celebrations in a virtual work environment is a good start. Companies could also benefit from dedicating resources to team bonding events and, whether they’re virtual or in person, taking special care to make sure that all employees feel included and that events are accessible to everyone.

4. Be purposeful about in-person work

Employee expectations for in-person work are changing—in particular, many employees don’t want to come into the office to do work they can just as easily do at home. In light of this, many companies are starting to refocus in-person work on activities that take advantage of being together, such as high-level planning, learning and development training, and bursts of heavy collaboration.

5. Make sure the playing field is level

It’s important that remote and hybrid employees get the same support and opportunities as on-site employees. People managers play a central role here, and many could benefit from additional training on how to foster remote and hybrid employees’ career development and minimize flexibility stigma. Equal access to mentorship and sponsorship are also key, yet less than half of companies offer virtual mentorship and sponsorship programs. Finally, companies can put safeguards in place to make sure employees who take advantage of remote and hybrid work options aren’t disadvantaged in performance reviews. This means communicating to managers that employees should be evaluated based on measurable results—not when or where they work—and closely tracking performance ratings and promotions for remote, hybrid, and on-site employees. If they see discrepancies, companies should revisit their manager training, career development, and evaluation practices to make sure remote and hybrid employees are not being unfairly penalized.

Woman on video call in home office

I’ve found that remote work is really, really role based. Sometimes we do need to be in a team working environment for a project. But other than that, if someone can work better and feel more comfortable by working remotely, then why not?”

—EAST ASIAN WOMAN, MANAGER, HYBRID WORKER
Women sitting in office setting

I have one report who has a toddler. She also has essential on-site tasks. So we aligned on the activities that she absolutely has to do on-site, and she only has to be there for those. For a few months when the daycares were closed, we assigned somebody else to do her on-site tasks temporarily, so she could stay at home with her kids. It didn’t affect her performance whatsoever, or her aspirations in the company. It didn’t change my perception of her.”

—LATINA, MANAGER, HYBRID WORKER, IMMIGRANT
Woman working at dining room table next to children
Women sitting at desk working on laptop

Flexibility stigma is the unfair judgment that employees often face when they work flexible hours or work from home. Research shows that employees who work flexibly face more doubts about their productivity and commitment, even when they produce the same results as their colleagues.42

Companies can take bolder steps to support remote and hybrid work

My company could do a better job of training leaders on how to manage remotely. We never had a course on how to manage remote teams. I think it’s something all of our managers need, not just me.”

—WHITE WOMAN, SENIOR MANAGER, HYBRID WORKER, PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
Bar chart showing the percentage of companies that are taking certain steps to support remote and hybrid work, including surveying employees on their preferences, providing budgets for inclusive team activities, training managers to avoid common biases against remote employees, and tracking outcomes like promotion rates for remote and hybrid employees. Less than half of companies are taking many of these actions.

Case study

Blue Shield of California made a successful shift to hybrid work

Blue Shield of California logo

What Blue Shield of California did

Over the past two years, Blue Shield of California has made an intentional transition to hybrid work, with a particular focus on balancing employee preferences with delivering on business goals. Their approach included four key steps:
  • Allow remote work wherever possible. During the early stages of the pandemic, Blue Shield of California realized that many of their roles could be remote. Most employees now have the choice to work remotely at least some of the time, with only essential workers such as clinical staff fully on-site.
  • Trained managers. More than 90 percent of Blue Shield of California’s managers completed training on how to manage hybrid teams. The training included live online workshops and toolkits on topics like supporting employee well-being and ensuring that both remote and on-site team members are included and treated fairly. Following the training, 95 percent of participants said they felt ready to lead in a hybrid work environment.
  • Make in-person work purposeful. Blue Shield of California aligned on four types of work that are best done in person: governance and planning, collaboration, connection, and learning and development.
  • Fostered healthy workloads. Blue Shield of California asked managers to work with their employees one-on-one to create schedules that balance work and life. To protect employees’ personal time, the company also has a policy of no meetings before 9 a.m., between 12 and 1 p.m., and after 5 p.m.

What impact did Blue Shield of California’s programs have?

In recent employee surveys, 90 percent of employees said the company is a great place to work, and 95 percent of women said they felt fairly treated. In addition, Blue Shield of California appeared on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2022, a first in the company’s history.

Part 4

The importance of managers

Woman in office speaking to man colleague

Section I

Managers are key to retaining women—but they need more support to get this right

Managers play an essential role in shaping women’s—and all employees’—work experiences.43 When managers invest in people management and DEI, women are happier and less burned out. They’re also less likely to think about leaving their jobs and more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work—which translates to higher retention and better recruiting.

The problem is there’s a growing gap between what’s expected of managers and how they’re being trained and rewarded. Most companies say managers have been expected to do more over the last two years to support employees’ well-being and advancement and promote inclusion on their teams. At the same time, the shift to remote and hybrid work has made managers’ jobs more challenging. Yet relatively few companies are adequately training managers to meet these new demands, and even fewer recognize people management and DEI efforts in managers’ performance reviews. Companies are effectively treating this work as a nice-to-have—as opposed to a core part of a manager’s job—and this disconnect is apparent in the way managers are showing up. Only about half of women say their manager regularly encourages respectful behavior on their team, and less than half say their manager shows interest in their career and helps them manage their workload.

Having a manager who cares about their well-being really matters to women—it’s one of the top three factors they consider when deciding whether to join or stay with a company.

Woman speaking in meeting

Better performance evaluations can especially benefit women managers. Women managers tend to invest more in people management and DEI. For example, employees with women managers are more likely to say their manager checks in on their well-being, helps them manage their workload, and promotes inclusive behavior on their team. When this work is included in performance reviews, women managers are more likely to be recognized for their efforts—which could lead to higher performance ratings, faster advancement, and higher pay.

Company expectations are rising, but most managers aren’t prepared to meet them

Two-part chart showing that companies are expecting managers to do more to support employees and foster inclusion, but employees say managers aren’t showing up consistently. The top chart is a set of donuts showing that the majority of companies say managers are expected to do more in these areas.
The bottom chart is a bar chart showing that many employees say that their manager doesn’t consistently foster inclusion or support their advancement or well-being.

How companies can equip, incentivize, and reward good managers

To begin to close the gap between what’s expected of managers and how they show up, companies could benefit from focusing on two key objectives:

1. Set managers up for success

Although a majority of companies provide general training for managers, far fewer address specifics that are critical to managing teams today, such as how to minimize burnout and ensure promotions are equitable. Research shows that when training focuses on concrete topics like these, it leads to better results.44 Companies could also benefit from stepping back to make sure people managers have the time and resources they need to do their jobs well. Managers have seen their scope of work expand dramatically over the past two years, and, understandably, many are struggling with the added responsibilities.

40% of people managers are burned out, compared to only 31% of individual contributors.

Woman at desk on the phone with child’s arms wrapped around her
Woman leading meeting in office with three colleagues

2. Hold managers accountable and reward those who excel

While virtually all companies build business goals into managers’ performance reviews, very few do the same for metrics related to people management and DEI. This is an incomplete view of performance, but it’s relatively easy to fix. It’s increasingly common for employees to review their manager’s performance, and prompts to gather more expansive input can be added to employee evaluation forms.45 Many companies track attrition rates, promotion rates, and other career outcomes and conduct surveys to measure employee satisfaction and well-being; insights from these processes can be built into managers’ performance evaluations.

In addition, companies can take steps to more clearly signal their expectations and reward results, such as sharing well-being and diversity metrics with all employees and publicly acknowledging managers who stand out for their efforts to support employees and foster inclusion on their teams.

Managers may need more training on how to ensure workloads are manageable. More than 70% of companies instruct managers to help employees manage their workloads, but only 38% of employees say their manager does this consistently. This really matters: more than half of women say ensuring a manageable workload is one of the most important things their company can do to signal commitment to employee well-being, and women leaders are especially likely to say this.

Most companies are not doing enough to train and recognize managers

Part one of two part modified bar chart showing that many important topics aren’t covered in manager training, and these crucial people management actions aren’t typically part of manager performance reviews.
Part two of two part modified bar chart showing that many important topics aren’t covered in manager training, and these crucial people management actions aren’t typically part of manager performance reviews.
Large chart with circles showing that when managers take supportive actions like consistently checking in on well-being or show interest in their career, women feel they have more opportunity to advance, they have more psychological safety on teams, and their work is sustainable. They are also more likely to be happy with their job and to recommend their organization to others and less likely to be burned out or want to leave. These actions benefit women and companies.

Part 5

Recommendations for companies

Woman at table speaking in meeting

section I

A road map to gender equality



To make meaningful and sustainable progress toward gender equality, companies should focus on two broad goals: getting more women into leadership and retaining the women leaders they already have. This will require pushing beyond common practices.

Companies that have better representation of women, especially women of color, are going further. They’re doubling down on setting goals, tracking outcomes, and holding leaders accountable—the building blocks of driving organizational change. They’re offering more specific and actionable training so managers are better equipped to support their teams and employees know how to practice allyship. They’re creating dedicated programs to make sure women get the mentorship and sponsorship they deserve. And they’re offering a constellation of benefits to improve women’s day-to-day work experiences: flexibility, emergency childcare benefits, and mental health supports. Companies that want to see better results would benefit from following their lead and breaking new ground.

Most companies also need to take specific, highly targeted steps to fix their “broken rung.” This starts with identifying where the largest gap in promotions is for women in their pipeline—for a majority of companies, this will be at the first step up to manager, but it could be at higher levels, too. Then companies need to make sure women and men are put up for promotions at similar rates, monitor outcomes to make sure they’re equitable, and root out biased aspects of their evaluation process.

Woman at desk reading papers

An overview of the policies and programs that drive progress

Based on an analysis of HR and DEI best practices, we have identified three distinct categories of policies and programs for advancing and retaining women:51

  • Table stakes have been adopted by more than 75 percent of companies—and while important, they’re not driving enough progress on their own.
  • Leading practices are less common than table stakes—and more prevalent in companies that have a higher representation of women and women of color.
  • Emerging practices are relatively rare—adopted by less than 30 percent of all companies—but show promising early results.
To accelerate progress on gender equality, companies should consider adopting more leading and emerging practices—and continue to look for opportunities to break new ground.

Table showing recommended policies and programs that drive progress.
Table showing recommended policies and programs that drive progress.
Woman in office working at desk

A closer look

When implementing new policies and programs, companies need to make sure they don’t simply “check the box”

Programs need to be high quality—research shows that in some areas, low-quality programs can be more harmful than doing nothing at all.52 Similarly, a one-and-done approach won’t work. New policies and programs need to be rolled out broadly and reinforced over time—for example, employees may need regular refreshers on bias training if companies want to achieve long-term cultural change. Companies also need to track participation. If relatively few employees are taking advantage of a new policy, or the right people aren’t in the room for an important training, initiatives are not delivering the intended results. And finally, companies should evaluate the impact of programs to assess whether benefits are equitable and identify areas where certain groups may need more targeted support.

Case study

Intuit increased the number of women in tech roles

Intuit logo

What Intuit did

Between 2018 and 2020, Intuit launched two major initiatives designed to grow the representation of women in technical roles—one that helps prospective employees upskill, the other that eases the on-ramp for employees who’ve taken career breaks:
  • The Apprenticeship Pathway Program is a seven-month software development program for prospective employees who don’t have a computer science degree and have never worked as a technologist. The program is open to people of all genders, but Intuit makes a specific effort to recruit and enroll women and people of color. Apprentices take programming courses, work directly on company projects, and receive mentorship from Intuit developers. More than 80 percent of apprentices are ultimately hired into full-time roles.
  • The “Intuit Again” return to work program is aimed at tech workers who’ve taken career breaks, most of whom are women. Participants join an Intuit team for 16 weeks, where they receive training to learn new programming languages and work with a dedicated mentor. To date, nearly 70 percent of Intuit Again participants have been hired full-time by Intuit.

Results

At Intuit, 33 percent of tech roles are now held by women, up from 27 percent in 2019. This is a significant increase and puts Intuit well above the average of 29 percent for the technology industry overall.'

Case study

Citi exceeded its representation goals

Citi logo
In 2018, Citi set a representation goal of 40 percent women at the assistant vice president to managing director levels by 2021—an important target, since women are underrepresented at these levels in banking and consumer finance.

What Citi did

  • Proactive recruiting. In 2021, Citi launched a Diversity Sourcing team in the U.S. to identify diverse talent, including women in mid-level and senior-level roles. Citi has also invested in mentorship programs and internships targeting women college graduates to ensure a strong pipeline of women into management roles.
  • Fair hiring Citi has taken steps to make hiring more inclusive at the assistant vice president and managing director levels, such as using diverse slates and offering inclusivity training for all hiring managers. The training includes guidance for writing inclusive job descriptions, creating diverse slates and interview panels, and for recruiting diverse slates through active outreach.
  • Developing talented women. Citi has expanded their “Women’s Career Empowerment Program” for early and mid-career women so that it now reaches 14,000 employees worldwide. Women participate in four training sessions over four months, covering strategic communication, decision-making, and networking. The women’s managers also receive training on how to support the women’s career growth.

Results

Citi surpassed their own goal: Globally, women now make up 40.6 percent of assistant vice presidents through managing directors at Citi, up from 37 percent in 2018–above average representation at this level for their industry. Citi has also committed to increasing women at those levels to 43.5 percent by 2025.

conclusion

Looking ahead

Women standing in office

Companies need to hold on to the leaders shaping the future of work

The Covid-19 crisis and racial reckoning of 2020 pushed corporate America to reimagine the way we work. Two and a half years in, employees don’t want to return to the workplace of the past. They want to move forward.

This is especially true for women. Women are ambitious and hardworking. They’re more inclusive and empathetic leaders. And they want to work for companies that are prioritizing the cultural changes that are improving work: flexibility, employee well-being, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Companies that rise to the moment will attract and retain women leaders—and this will lead to a better workplace for everyone. They’ll win the war for talent today and into the future.

Acknowledgments

McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org would like to thank the 333 companies and more than 40,000 employees who participated in this year’s study. By sharing their information and insights, they’ve given us new visibility into the state of women in the workplace and the steps companies can take to achieve gender equality.

We appreciate the continued help of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME-MEC), Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), The Equity Collaborative, Expanding Equity, Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA), International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), ISSA Hygieia Network, Massachusetts High Technology Council (MHTC), The Press Forward, The SEMI Foundation, Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF), and Women’s Network in Electronic Transactions (WNET), in convening participants in their respective industries.

We would like to thank IntelliSurvey for their help in conducting the surveys for this study and Getty Images for providing the photography from the Lean In Collection used in this report and website.

Woman in office
Woman standing outside

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR COMPANIES

This year’s report clearly shows that women want more opportunity to advance and a better work culture. Lean In’s company programs can help—and they’re available at no cost, because every company should have the tools to build an equitable workplace. 50 Ways to Fight Bias teaches employees how to recognize and challenge the biases women experience at work. Allyship at Work empowers employees at all levels to take meaningful action as allies and foster inclusion. And Lean In Circles bring women together for peer mentorship, camaraderie, and skill building. Find out why organizations like Adidas, Walmart, and WeWork are using our programs and how you can bring them to your company at leanin.org/partner.

McKinsey & Company has made a commitment to researching and building diverse leadership, as well as inclusive and equitable work environments. We have a track record of client service to institutions working to modernize their talent and business processes as well as cultures to support these aims. McKinsey offers award-winning programs to equip leaders with the network, capabilities, and mindsets needed to achieve their goals. Our Connected Leaders Academy has enrolled 40,000 leaders. We will soon launch an early career program and expand our capability-building offering designed to support all leaders in creating inclusive organizations. Visit mckinsey.com to explore McKinsey’s client service, research, and insights on DE&I.

Industries have different talent pipelines

Although women are broadly underrepresented in corporate America, the talent pipeline varies by industry. Some industries struggle to attract entry-level women (e.g., Technology: Hardware; IT and Telecom; Engineering and Industrial Manufacturing), while others fail to advance women into middle management (Energy, Utilities, and Basic Materials) or senior leadership (Oil and Gas).

Chart showing representation of women in different industries in 6 levels from entry level to C-suite. Some industries have few women even at the entry level. Other industries have much higher representation of women overall, but still show big gaps between men and women at certain levels.
Chart showing representation of women in different industries in 6 levels from entry level to C-suite. Some industries have few women even at the entry level. Other industries have much higher representation of women overall, but still show big gaps between men and women at certain levels.

Endnotes

  1. This report contains stock photographs for illustrative purposes only. Images do not reflect the identities of the women quoted. Within the quotes, some identifying details may have been altered and/or withheld to protect the speaker’s anonymity.
  2. In this study, “women” includes cisgender and transgender women. Due to small sample sizes for transgender women, data are reported for “women overall” or “LGBTQ+ women” in aggregate. Women of color include Black, Latina, Asian, Native American/American Indian/Indigenous or Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, or mixed-race women. Due to small sample sizes for other racial and ethnic groups, reported findings on individual racial/ethnic groups are restricted to Black women, Latinas, and Asian women.
  3. Except where otherwise noted, “women leaders” refers to employees at the senior manager level and above (L4 to L1 in Methodology). Findings for “women leaders” may not hold for CEOs and other C-suite executives as there is high variability due to the relatively small size of the C-suite population.
  4. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2019 (October 2019), https://womenintheworkplace.com/.
  5. Women and men leaders are equally likely to want to get promoted: 78 percent of women leaders and 78 percent of men leaders are interested in getting promoted to the next level at their organization. And women and men leaders are similarly likely to want to be senior leaders at their company (81 percent of women leaders and 85 percent of men leaders). However, men leaders are more interested than women leaders in becoming top executives (57 percent of men leaders and 49 percent of women leaders). Full questions: How interested are you in doing the following at your company? [Respondents selected from “Extremely/slightly interested,” “Neither interested nor uninterested,” “Extremely/somewhat uninterested,” and “Not sure”] | Getting promoted to the next level; Managing a team (1 or more full-time employees); Being a senior leader. (Note: This scale is asymmetrical due to an error; however, this didn’t affect analysis of grouped results.) Do you want to be a top executive? | Yes; No; I already am a top executive.
  6. Except where otherwise noted, “young women” and “young men” refer to employees under the age of 30.
  7. Except where otherwise noted, “senior leadership” refers to individuals at the vice president level or above (L3 to L1 in Methodology).
  8. Total percent of women and men per level in the race and gender pipeline may not sum to overall corporate pipeline totals, as the race pipeline does not include employees with unreported race data. Some percentages may sum to 99 percent or 101 percent due to rounding. Pipeline data in this report is based on data from the end of 2021 and does not reflect changes through 2022.
  9. In this study, numbers for the “broken rung” assume an equal number of men, women, and women of color at entry-level (L6 in Methodology).
  10. In this chart, data for voluntary attrition from 2017 to 2021 comes from unpublished pipeline data for the 2018 to 2022 Women in the Workplace reports. Voluntary attrition rates for men and women leaders (L4 to L1 in Methodology) were calculated by weighting each employee level’s voluntary attrition rate by the end of year composition.
  11. In this study, unless otherwise noted, “voluntary attrition” refers to employees who left their organization of their own volition.
  12. Data for women in engineering and technical roles is based on the following question: Do you work in an engineering or technical field (e.g., engineering, product development, data science)? | Yes; No. In 2018, this question was slightly different: Do you work in an engineering or technical department (e.g., engineering, product development, data science)? | Yes; No.
  13. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Outlook Handbook,” filtered by pay (“more than $80,000/year”) and occupation growth rate (“faster than average or much faster than average”), September 8, 2022, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/occupation-finder.htm?pay=$80,000+or+more&education=&training=&newjobs=&growth=Faster+than+average&submit=GO.
  14. Data show that when managers take action to support employee well-being and promote inclusion, employees have better experiences. Full question: Which of the following actions has your manager taken consistently in the past year? | Shown interest in your career advancement (e.g., asked about your career goals); Encouraged respectful and inclusive behavior on your team; Checked in on your personal well-being; Trusted you to get your work done without micromanaging; Worked with you to make sure your workload is manageable; Made sure you got credit for your work; Given you helpful feedback; None of these.
  15. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2021 (September 2021), https://womenintheworkplace.com/.
  16. Ibid.
  17. In this study, “flexibility” refers to remote or hybrid work, as well as flexible work options such as the ability to set your own hours.
  18. Full question: Compared to how you felt two years ago, how important are the following to you now: [Respondents selected from “Less important now,” “Just as important,” “More important,” “Was never important,” and “Not sure”] | Flexibility (e.g., being able to work remotely and/or set your own work hours); Working at an organization that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion; Working at an organization that is committed to employee well-being; Having a supportive manager; Being recognized and rewarded for your work.
  19. In this study, unless otherwise noted, “people management” refers to actions taken by managers to support employees’ well-being and career development. This finding on women leaders and DEI is from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2021, unpublished data.
  20. See endnote 23 for the full question.
  21. In this study, “older women” and “older employees” refer to women or employees over the age of 40.
  22. Full question: Why did you leave your last job? | I wanted more options to work remotely; I wanted a more flexible work schedule (e.g., ability to set my own work hours); My workload was unmanageable; My manager wasn’t supportive; I didn’t feel welcome (e.g., I was excluded or treated disrespectfully); I wanted to do more meaningful or inspiring work; I wanted more opportunity to advance; I wanted to work for an organization more committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion; I had an opportunity that offered better pay and/or benefits; I left for personal reasons (e.g., I relocated); Other. This question was only asked of people who switched jobs in the last two years. The number given for “flexibility” in this chart is a composite of “I wanted more options to work remotely” and/or “I wanted a more flexible schedule (e.g., ability to set my own work hours). For “opportunity to advance,” the difference between men and women leaders is not statistically significant.
  23. Full question: Over the last two years, has career advancement (e.g., getting promoted) become more or less important to you? | Less important now; Just as important; More important now; Not sure. See endnote 18 for the second question.
  24. “1 in 3” was obtained by subtracting the percentage of Black women leaders who selected “None of these” from 100 percent. Full question: In the last year, have you felt that any of the following personal characteristics have played a role in you being denied or passed over for a raise, promotion, or chance to get ahead? | Your gender; Your race/ethnicity; Having a disability or health issue; Your sexual orientation; Your age; Being a parent; Being a remote employee; None of these.
  25. This visual presents data for all women and men, not just those who live with a spouse or partner. Full question: When it comes to household responsibilities (e.g., housework, childcare, managing family’s schedule, helping children with school), would you say… | You are responsible for all of the work; You are responsible for most of the work; You share responsibilities equally with a partner; Your partner is responsible for most of the work; Your partner is responsible for all of the work; Someone else (e.g., family member, nanny) is responsible for all or most of the work.
  26. Psychological safety is the belief among employees that it’s safe to take interpersonal risks. It means employees believe they won’t be punished or humiliated if they propose new ideas, raise concerns and issues, or admit mistakes. Amy Edmondson, “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams,” Administrative Science Quarterly 44, no. 2 (June 1999): 350–83, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2307/2666999. Full question: Which of the following are true on your team? | [Select all that apply] People aren’t penalized for making mistakes; People feel comfortable disagreeing with each other; People rarely exclude other team members; People celebrate each other’s accomplishments; Everyone’s work is valued; People listen to each other’s ideas and concerns; None of these.
  27. “Asian women” refers to women of South Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian origin or descent. Unless otherwise stated, “Asian women” does not include individuals of Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, West Asian, or Middle Eastern origin or descent.
  28. Due to small sample sizes, all women identifying as lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, otherwise non-heterosexual, and/or transgender were analyzed and reported in a single category as LGBTQ+ women. This means that, throughout this report, the composite “LGBTQ+” most closely describes the experiences of larger groups in the sample (e.g., lesbians and bisexual women).
  29. This visualization utilizes data from multiple survey questions. See endnotes 31 to 34 for the full list of questions. Categories represented in this table (e.g., LGBTQ+ women, white women, women with disabilities, etc.) are not mutually exclusive or collectively exhaustive even within subcategories (e.g., some women with disabilities are also LGBTQ+ and fall across racial/ethnic categories).
  30. The LGBTQ+ population in this sample significantly differs from the overall population (e.g., skews much younger), which may affect the results presented in this study.
  31. See endnote 14 for the full question.
  32. Full questions: How much do you agree with the following statements? [Respondents selected from “Somewhat/strongly disagree,” “Neither disagree nor agree,” or “Somewhat/strongly agree”] | I have strong allies on my team; I actively try to practice allyship at work. In the last year, has someone in a more senior role done any of the following for you? | Put you forward as a candidate for a promotion; Recommended you for a stretch assignment; Told you that you have what it takes to advance at your organization; Advocated for a compensation increase for you; Publicly praised you for your skills or accomplishments; None of these.
  33. Full question: In the last year, over the normal course of business, have you experienced any of the following? [Respondents selected from “Yes,” “No,” or “Not sure”] | Having others take or get credit for your ideas; Having your judgment questioned in your area of expertise; Having others comment on your appearance in a way that made you uncomfortable; People making assumptions about your culture or nationality (e.g., asking you where you’re “really from”); Being mistaken for someone at a lower level; Being criticized for your demeanor (e.g., being told you look mad or should smile more); Hearing or overhearing negative comments about your accent or way of speaking; Having someone say or imply you’re not qualified for your job; Having someone question whether you were working because you didn’t respond right away.
  34. See endnote 26 for full question.
  35. Full question: Ideally, would you… | Work mostly remotely; Work mostly on-site; Split time about evenly between working remotely and working on-site; Not sure; Other.
  36. Throughout this study, when referring to employees’ current work situations, “mostly on-site” refers to employees who work remotely 0 percent to 20 percent of the time (i.e., less than one day a week). “Hybrid” refers to employees who work remotely 21 percent to 90 percent of the time (i.e., between one and four days a week). “Mostly remote” refers to employees who work remotely 91 percent to 100 percent of the time (i.e., always or almost always).
  37. In this study, employees who “work remotely or hybrid at least some of the time” refers to those who work remotely 21 percent to 100 percent of the time.
  38. Robin J. Ely and Irene Padavic, “What’s Really Holding Women Back?” Harvard Business Review, March-April 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/03/whats-really-holding-women-back. Herminia Ibarra, Julia Gillard, and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, “Why WFH Isn’t Necessarily Good for Women,” Harvard Business Review, July 16, 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/07/why-wfh-isnt-necessarily-good-for-women.
  39. Percentages in this chart may not sum to 100 because options such as “Not sure” and “Other” are not depicted in data visualizations. For the full question, see endnote 35.
  40. “Women work where they want to” refers to women who work mostly remotely and want to work mostly remotely or women who work mostly on-site and want to work mostly on-site. “Women don’t work where they want to” refers to women who work mostly remotely and want to work mostly on-site or women who work mostly on-site and want to work mostly remotely. Neither group includes women who work or want to work in a hybrid environment. “I’m rarely burned out” is a composite of respondents who selected “Seldom” and “Almost never.” Full question: In the last few months, how often have you felt burned out at work? | Almost never; Seldom; Sometimes; Often; Almost always; Not sure.
  41. In this study, an “othering microaggression” refers to: Having had others comment on your appearance in a way that makes you uncomfortable; People making assumptions about your culture or nationality (e.g., asking you where you’re “really from”); Being criticized for your demeanor (e.g., being told you look mad or should smile more); Hearing or overhearing negative comments about your accent or way of speaking. See endnote 33 for the full question text. Notable differences are between those working mostly on-site and those working mostly remotely. In some cases, differences between those working hybrid and other groups are not significant.
  42. Joan C. Williams, Mary Blair-Loy, and Jennifer Berdahl, “Special Issue: The Flexibility Stigma,” Journal of Social Issues 69, no. 2 (June 2013): 209-405, https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15404560/69/2.
  43. Tony Simons and Quinetta Roberson, “Why managers should care about fairness: The effects of aggregate justice perceptions on organizational outcomes,” Journal of Applied Psychology 88, no. 3, (June 2003): 432–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.3.432. Jixia Yang, Zhi-Xue Zhang, and Anne S. Tsui, “Middle Manager Leadership and Frontline Employee Performance: Bypass, Cascading, and Moderating Effects,” Journal of Management Studies 47 (April 2010): 654–78, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2009.00902.x.
  44. Joelle Emerson, “Don’t Give Up on Unconscious Bias Training—Make It Better,” Harvard Business Review, April 28, 2017, https://hbr.org/2017/04/dont-give-up-on-unconscious-bias-training-make-it-better.
  45. Jack Zenger, “How Effective Are Your 360-Degree Feedback Assessments?” Forbes, March 10, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackzenger/2016/03/10/how-effective-are-your-360-degree-feedback-assessments/.
  46. This visualization utilizes data from multiple survey questions. See endnotes 47 to 50 for the full list of questions.
  47. Full questions: Compared to my peers in this organization I have equal opportunity to advance | Somewhat/strongly disagree; Neither disagree nor agree; Somewhat/strongly agree. In general, how much of a priority is diversity, equity, and inclusion to your organization? | DEI higher priority; DEI lower priority. See endnote 24 for the third question.
  48. See endnote 26 for the full question.
  49. Full question: Which of the following are true for you on most workdays? | You feel like you need to be available 24/7 (e.g., checking email at all hours); You feel like you have to prove you’re working; You have the information and resources you need to get your work done; You’re in meetings for most of the day; You have a chance to work on things that feel meaningful and important; You feel overwhelmed (e.g., you can’t get all of your work done in the time you have); You feel like you can be honest with your colleagues about challenges you’re facing; None of these.
  50. Full questions: Overall how happy are you with the following? [Respondents selected from “Somewhat/very unhappy,” “Neither unhappy nor happy,” or “Somewhat/very happy”] | Your job. I would recommend this organization as a great place to work. | Somewhat/strongly disagree; Neither disagree nor agree; Somewhat/strongly agree; Prefer not to say. How likely are you to leave your organization in the next year? | Somewhat/very unlikely; Neither unlikely nor likely; Somewhat/very likely; Not sure. For the full text of the fourth question, see endnote 40.
  51. In this study, “common practice” or “table stakes” refers to practices that are standard in most (≥75 percent of the 317 participants in the HR survey for 2022) organizations—they’re important but not driving enough progress on their own. “Leading practice” refers to practices that are less standard (< 75 percent) but more prevalent in companies that have both improved women’s representation (including women of color) and outperformed their industry from 2019 to 2022 when compared to other companies with data from the same time period. A recommendation is classified as a leading practice if at least one of the named actions shows a statistically significant difference between top performing companies and other companies. “Emerging practice” refers to those that are less common (< 30 percent of organizations that participated in 2022 do these things) but show promising early results. See Methodology for more details. Policies and programs highlighted in this table are not exhaustive of all table stakes, emerging practices, or leading practices analyzed.
  52. Katerina Bezrukova, Chester S. Spell, Jamie L. Perry et al., “A meta-analytical integration of over 40 years of research on diversity training evaluation,” Psychological Bulletin 142, no. 11 (November 2016): 1227–74, https://www.proquest.com/docview/1819126367/fulltextPDF/7F606D14126144BBPQ/5?forcedol=true".
  53. Participating companies were required to have a minimum of 1,000 U.S. and Canadian employees to participate. Exceptions were addressed on a case-by-case basis.
  54. A minimum of five companies is required to create an industry benchmark.
  55. Overall weighted pipeline is based on 311 private-sector firms and does not include Public and Social Sector organizations or Law Firms. Three Law Firms were excluded from this list as they did not meet the minimum benchmark threshold of five companies per industry.
  56. Percentages sum to 101 percent due to rounding.
  57. Representation calculations by gender include data for employees whose race was not reported. However, representation calculations by race/ethnicity and gender do not include data for employees whose race was not reported.