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Dive Overview:
Just 16% of survey respondents to LeanIn.Org and McKinsey and Co.’s latest “Women in the Workplace” report said they offer formal sponsorship programs for women, down from 24% in 2022. In 2022, 48% had recruiting programs focused on women; only 34% currently have such programs in place. Similarly, 24% had internships focused on women; only 11% of respondents currently offer such programs.
Dive Insights:
The researchers noted an overall decline in efforts toward women, saying “progress has been much slower earlier in the pipeline — at entry-level and management level.”
The researchers also found that women remain underrepresented at every stage of a company’s talent pipeline, adding that “progress is not yet equal.”
Additionally, McKinsey highlights “discontinuous rungs of promotion” for women as a central issue, which mirrors both its own previous findings and those of other companies.
For example, Bloomberg’s 2023 Gender Equality Index analyzed 484 of the top companies by revenue across 45 countries. Most employers who participated in Bloomberg’s index generally provided data, but the overall score for participating companies was 73%, or a C- for gender equality. Bloomberg rated companies on gender pay equity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, leadership and talent pipeline.
Studies have shown that learning and development can be a key tool in helping women advance and thrive in leadership roles, including training that helps them balance gender-based challenges, such as the challenges of being a working mother.
Executives have previously told HR Dive that learning how to develop female-specific “soft skills” can also change the trajectory of a woman’s career, especially in male-dominated fields. Still, microaggressions and biases can hold women back, so the right culture and the right investments in female talent go hand in hand to lead to progress, they say.
