MARY NOBLE-TOLLA, Ph.D., is a senior manager of research and content at LeanIn.Org. Compared to women, men are more likely to be “in the know,” receive the mentorship and sponsorship they need, and have their accomplishments noticed and rewarded when they work on-site. Flexibility refers to remote or hybrid work, as well as flexible work options such as the ability to set your own hours. Roughly 1 in 3 women with disabilities and 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ and Black women have felt invisible or like their accomplishments didn’t get noticed at work. Almost a quarter of women 30 and under say that their age has contributed to them missing out on a raise, promotion, or chance to get ahead. People need to see leaders who look like themselves to understand that it’s possible for them.

Women’s ambition remains high even as they prioritize their personal lives more

Many of them work through pain and discomfort without taking time off work—a worsening reality for those experiencing menopause. This year, fewer women feel comfortable discussing these health challenges with their managers as compared to 2023, and more say their careers have been negatively affected by discussing these issues at work. In summary, women’s empowerment in the workplace is not just a matter of social justice or political correctness. It is also an essential aspect of creating a diverse and innovative work environment, improving the bottom line, increasing employee satisfaction and retention, and promoting gender equality. Companies that invest in women’s empowerment can reap these benefits and more, making it a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Make sure managers have the time and support to get it right

Without this clarity, employees may have very different and conflicting interpretations of what’s expected of them, which can create confusion and make coordination on and across teams difficult. As part of this process, companies need to find the right balance between setting organization-wide guidelines and allowing managers to work with their teams to determine an approach that works best for them. To raise employee awareness and set the right tone, it’s crucial that senior leaders communicate that microaggressions and disrespectful behavior of any kind are not welcome.

• Before Lean In, Caroline worked in journalism, most recently at LinkedIn News, where she led coverage of women in the workplace, and Fortune, where she founded The Broadsheet, a popular newsletter on women leaders.
• Less than half of Latinas and Black women say their manager shows interest in their career advancement.
• Companies are currently doing more to reduce bias in hiring—for example, almost two thirds of companies offer bias training focused on hiring, compared to less than half of companies that offer this for evaluators involved in performance reviews.
• The persistence of a gender wage gap impacts almost every aspect of women’s lives in the United States.
• When employees feel valued and heard, they are more likely to stay with the company and be productive.
• Many Black women say they do this work because they feel it wouldn’t get done otherwise—which speaks to the urgent need for employees with more privilege to show up as allies.

The U.S. has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs this year, analysis finds

Women made up 47% of the U.S. civilian labor force in 2023, but growth has stagnated, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows. The BLS projects that women will continue to make up slightly less than half of the labor force through 2032. March 8, International Women’s Day 2025, is a great time to reflect on progress, recognize ongoing issues and take real action toward workplace equality.

The researchers launched a study asking 1,026 software engineers at the company to evaluate the exact same piece of computer code. While the code was identical, the reviewers received varied instructions about whether the code was written with or without AI assistance, and whether the coder was male or female. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a massive opportunity for humanity, reshaping how we work, learn, and live at gargantuan speed. If AI tools and systems are trained with biased data, stereotypes and views shaped by decades of inequality, these will influence the final product.

We report the percentage of organizations that have a program, policy, priority, or position out of the total number of companies that submitted HR program/policy data. McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org would like to thank the 276 companies and more than 27,000 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. Companies should take steps to ensure that employees aren’t penalized for working flexibly. This includes putting systems in place to make sure that employees are evaluated fairly, such as redesigning performance reviews to focus on results, rather than when and where work gets done. This requires educating managers on flexibility stigma and the importance of making sure their team members get equal recognition for their contributions and equal opportunities to advance.

Invest in career advancement for women of color

Finally, companies need to impress upon managers that the work they do to support employee well-being is critical to the health and success of the business. For this work to feel like a real priority, it needs to be tied to concrete outcomes for managers, including performance ratings and compensation. To underscore that employees are not expected to be “always on,” companies and managers need to work together to make sure all employees are evaluated based on results rather than when or where they work. A results-oriented lens is critical in formal performance reviews, and managers should be mindful of the day-to-day feedback they deliver to ensure they aren’t inadvertently signaling that long hours and face time are unspoken measures of performance.

The same is true of employees who have strong allies and believe DEI is a high priority for their company. That’s the ultimate conclusion of the tenth annual Women in the Workplace study by McKinsey & Company and Lean In. The Study provides a useful tool for corporate leaders to the extent that it provides a detailed measuring tool against which the success of prior gender equity initiatives can be measured, and future such initiatives can be developed. Hybrid schedules, job-sharing and remote work help all employees balance career and family. The rise of flexible work arrangements, including remote and hybrid options, marks another major shift.

• Also, women who work flexibly are just as ambitious as women who don’t work flexibly.
• Massick added that it’s important to be gentle in your haircare routine and eat a well-balanced diet.
• People need to see leaders who look like themselves to understand that it’s possible for them.
• Companies can participate by hosting events, launching initiatives, revising outdated policies to promote pay equity and raising awareness through workshops on topics like unconscious bias and mentorship.

He has a close relationship with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, whom he refers to as his uncle. Fidelman, who received his undergraduate degree in 2017, joined the Tigers the same year. He was promoted to manager of communications by December 2019 and director three years later. Team sources described four different instances when Soto commented on female employees’ appearances. In two instances, Soto allegedly told women they weren’t attractive enough to succeed in the sports industry, according to people present when the remarks were made. He deemed a third woman “hot” enough to make it, according to a former employee who heard that remark.

They are also more likely than men to take allyship actions such as mentoring women of color, advocating for new opportunities for them, and actively confronting discrimination. Not only are women less likely than men to be hired into entry-level roles, they are also far less likely to get promoted in the first critical step to manager. It’s the “broken rung” phenomenon, women in the workplace which creates a serious impediment to the company’s ability to sustain the progress of women’s development at the higher levels.

People & Culture Overview

Moreover, women’s empowerment in the workplace leads to better employee satisfaction and retention. When employees feel valued and heard, they are more likely to stay with the company and be productive. Women empowerment can also lead to better work-life balance, which is important to many employees, especially women. Another benefit of women in the workplace is improvement in the organization’s bottom line. Companies that have more women in leadership positions tend to perform better financially, as studies have shown.

In another instance, he commented on a woman’s buttocks, according to one person who heard the comment and another who was told about it. Before being hired in January 2023, Bullock worked at the XFL with IS+E president and CEO Ryan Gustafson. Three people told The Athletic they witnessed Bullock verbally harass male and female employees, sometimes on the field. Four people, both male and female employees, said they heard Bullock use vulgarities to describe women and, in some of those cases, discuss sexual acts.

Your gender equality checklist: Flex work, equal pay, fair tech

IS+E was formally rolled out in 2022, but even before then, the business departments from the Tigers and Red Wings merged, employee roles and managers changed, and cuts were made. At various points, the organization eliminated positions, lowered sales commissions and curtailed employee perks. While the Tigers and Red Wings baseball and hockey operations are separate, many business employees found themselves suddenly working for both teams with little to no notice.