Women, whether working from home or the office, are as ambitious as men, according to a recently published report. However, they are promoted less and are less likely to occupy high-level C-suite positions than men in the USA and Canada. At the same time, women experience microaggression in the workplace more often compared to their counterparts.
Women, particularly women of color, are still underrepresented in senior positions in the USA and Canada, according to a report from McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn. The report, Women in the Workplace 2023, studied the role of women in corporate America by analyzing 27,000 employees and 270 senior HR leaders across 276 organizations. The report reveals that women still regularly face bias in the workplace and are exposed to micro-aggression while carrying out their work responsibilities.
As this study has screened data on the status of women for the last nine years, the report reveals that despite women not being equally represented in the corporate pipeline compared to men, their position has improved slightly over time. For instance, compared to 2015, in 2023, the representation of women in C-suite highest-ranking executives has increased slightly, reaching 28% from 17%. Meanwhile, the number of women occupying Vice President and Senior Vice President positions has increased considerably.
Fig.1.Representation in the corporate pipeline by gender and race
Source: Women in the Workplace 2023
Despite this improvement, progress remains slow in terms of women in high-level positions. For instance, women occupy approximately 1 in 4 C-suite executive positions. The situation is even worse for women of color, as only 1 in 16 achieve the highest-ranking positions. And, according to the report, this outcome is in no way related to the motivation of women as they are just as ambitious as men. Moreover, the report states that white women are less ambitious than women of color. The survey reveals that 96% of women of color highlight their career as being important to them, while 88% said they would like to be promoted to a higher position.
Fig.2. Women are just as committed to their careers and advancing as men
Source: Women in the Workplace 2023
However, flexibility helps women to continue to work at an organization without reducing their working hours and it can also unlock their potential. According to the report, women who work remotely or have flexibility over work are as ambitious as women working in-office. In addition, women working from home say they experience less fatigue and burnout.
Fig.3. Women who work hybrid or remotely are as ambitious as women and men who work on-site
Source: Women in the Workplace 2023
Interestingly, it is not only women who consider flexibility to be a major benefit. Among all employees, regardless of gender, remote working and the ability to control when you work have been described as the top benefit offered by a company after healthcare benefits. Mental health benefits, bereavement leave, parental leave, childcare and caregiver benefits, and opportunities to work on-site all follow.
According to the report, however, “the broken rung remains the biggest barrier women face”. For many consecutive years, women have faced the most difficult challenge when they first step up to become a manager. Only 87 women (73 women of color) have been promoted to managerial positions this year for every 100 men.
The report recommends that companies trying to support women should design their internal policies in a way that avoids micro-aggression in the workplace while at the same time allowing managers to be effective people managers. It also endorses the implementation of appropriate systems to track women’s representation and unlock the benefits of remote working.
