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Key Takeaways
- Women today are less interested in promotions than men—a phenomena that occurs when women don’t receive the same level of support, according to a new report.
- The annual report from McKinsey and Lean In comes as fostering diversity is a priority for less companies than it was in years past.
Climbing the corporate ladder is growing more daunting for women.
Women are less interested in promotions than men for the first time in 11 years, according to annual worker and employer surveys released this week by McKinsey, a consulting firm. This “ambition gap” shows up when women receive less support than men, and fades when a workplace is more equitable, the report said.
Women’s waning enthusiasm for navigating corporate America comes as fewer employers prioritize diversity and inclusion, and some cut resources for such efforts, McKinsey said.
“When women and men have sponsors and receive similar levels of support from managers and more senior colleagues, they are equally enthusiastic about getting promoted to the next level,” the report said.
Why This News Matters to Consumers
Companies are likely to fare better when workers feel supported and incentivized to perform well. A chunk of women losing faith in corporate America and seeing out less opportunity could have implications for the broader economy.
Nearly identical proportions of men and women, across seniority levels, view their careers as important and are motivated to perform. Yet, more men—86%—are interested in promotions than women, at 80%, the report said. This trend is present across seniority levels, but particularly stark for entry- and senior-level workers.
A number of senior-level women who aren’t keen on advancing said they were passed over for a promotion or don’t see a realistic path to getting promoted, the report said. They’re also more likely to perceive superiors as burned out or unhappy, which may make advancing less appealing.
Cultural norms are another factor. About a quarter of entry- and senior-level women who weren’t interested in promotions said it could be tough to balance personal obligations with greater responsibility at work. Women with partners were more than three times as likely as men with partners to be responsible for most or all housework, McKinsey said.
Public policies and cultural icons are now promoting traditional gender roles, sometimes with “terrible rhetoric,” said Sheryl Sandberg, a former tech executive who founded Lean In, a group involved with McKinsey’s research that aims to help women achieve their ambitions. The report shows these messages are having an effect, Sandberg said during an interview with Bloomberg Television.
Applying “old pressures” to the modern economy doesn’t help businesses get the best out of their workers, promote economic growth or make life easier for women, Sandberg said.
Most women “have to wake up in the morning and leave their home to earn money to support their families,” Sandberg said on Bloomberg Television.
Companies can use time-tested strategies to promote equity in the workplace, Sandberg said. For instance, they can implement standard criteria for evaluating the performance of workers. That might shake up the status quo, where women are critiqued for their interpersonal style more often than men, Sandberg said.
“This isn’t about special treatment,” she said. “This is about giving everyone the opportunity to do their best work and contribute.”
