Roadmap to gender equality and careers

Out of every 100 men promoted, only 87 women were promoted. Unfortunately, the phenomenon “Broken rung” is a different phenomenon. A “stopgap” in the advancement of women to leadership positions is still common. This disparity causes men to dominate managerial positions, which prevents women from further promotion and thus blocks access to top positions in companies.

According to available data

• At the basic management level, 48% are women and 52% men.
• The managerial position is 40% female and 60% male.
• 36% of directors are women and 64% are men.

The data clearly indicate that the higher the position, the lower the percentage of women occupying it.

Increase in the departure of female leaders

Another problem is the increasing number of female leaders leaving companies. The gap in the departures of women and men in management positions is the largest in history. To illustrate the scale, imagine a situation where for every female executive promoted, two other female directors decide to leave the company. This has a negative impact on the potential of companies and the retention of talent, and also exacerbates the problem of gender inequality.

What's more, the McKinsey report “Women in the Workplace 2022” indicates that in leadership positions, as many as 43% of women leaders experience burnout compared to just 31% of men at the same level.

Why is this happening?

The report indicates that women, compared to men in the same position, put more effort and energy into ensuring the well-being and well-being of employees, as well as promoting diversity, equality and inclusiveness in the work environment. Women leaders are at the forefront of the shift towards a more supportive and inclusive work environment. This is what the next generation of workers, especially younger women, expects and wants.

Although this work significantly affects the loyalty and satisfaction of employees, in most companies it is not formally appreciated. Thus, devoting time and energy to doing things unnoticed can make it difficult for women to advance. This also makes women in management positions more overloaded than men. So it is not surprising that they are much more likely to experience professional burnout.

The McKinsey report “Women in the Workplace 2022” indicates...

... to achieve significant and sustained progress towards gender equality, companies should focus on two main objectives:

1. Promoting more women to leadership positions. Women who meet the required criteria and are appropriately qualified should be actively considered for promotions. Nevertheless, despite the fact that there are many women who demonstrate high competence and leadership abilities, among others, they are still in the minority in the context of promotions to managerial positions.

2. Retaining in the company women who already occupy managerial positions. It is also important to keep women in the company who have already achieved managerial positions. To ensure the sustainability of progress towards gender equality, it is necessary to create a work environment that supports the development and success of women in these positions. These include, inter alia, providing adequate support, training and removing barriers that may lead to the withdrawal of women from these positions.

Although achieving this will require going beyond the established patterns, it is worth it. Companies with a greater representation of women, go one step further. They set more ambitious goals and monitor results more effectively — this is the foundation for implementing organizational change. They offer more detailed and practical training so that managers better support their teams and employees know how to be allies for women. They create dedicated programs to provide women with the mentorship they deserve. They are also introducing a range of benefits to improve women's daily work experience: flexible working hours, funding for emergency childcare and mental health support.

Companies that want to achieve better results should follow in their footsteps and set new directions for action. You should start by identifying the place in the company hierarchy where there is the greatest disparity in the promotion of women. For most, this will be the first level of promotion to a managerial position, but the gap can also apply to higher levels. Next, companies must ensure that women and men are nominated for promotions in a similar ratio, monitor the results to guarantee their fairness, and eliminate biased elements of the evaluation process.

Source: McKinsey Report, Women in the Workplace, 2022