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Women in the Workplace 2024

The 10th Anniversary Report

Despite progress, it will take almost 50 years to reach parity for all women in corporate America

Over the last 10 years, the number of women in senior leadership has steadily increased, and these women are reshaping the workplace and inspiring a new generation.1 However, there are clear signs that the pipeline may not be as healthy as the numbers suggest. At the beginning, too few women—and especially women of color—are advancing into management positions. And at the highest level—the C-suite—gains in representation will be nearly impossible to replicate in the years to come.

At the current pace of progress, it will take 22 years to reach parity in corporate America for white women—and more than twice as long for women of color—and that assumes companies can translate their somewhat precarious momentum into more substantial and sustainable gains.2

A 10-year look at the corporate pipeline

A closer look at how women have progressed over the last decade3

Choose a job level:

3 things you need to know

Companies have made real progress, but the culture of work is lagging behind

Over the past decade, companies have taken real steps to advance women and make the workplace more equitable. They have put more practices in place to de-bias hiring and performance reviews. They have prioritized inclusion with managers and invested more heavily in training employees to recognize bias and practice allyship. Flexibility—a top priority for most employees—has become the norm in many companies. And perhaps most critically, far more companies now offer supports to parents, caregivers, and employees facing health issues.

However, company efforts to activate employees—who have a critical role to play in changing the culture of work—have not translated into action. Employees are not markedly more likely to recognize bias against women or act as allies to women of color. And all this is occurring against the backdrop of waning company commitment to gender and racial diversity.

By the numbers

Companies are nearly 2x as likely to send bias reminders before reviews as they were six years ago.

By the numbers

Half of companies now offer support for caregivers of sick and elderly adults—and 1 in 3 offer compassionate leave.4

By the numbers

Men are 2x as likely to say their gender will hurt their chances to advance as they were in 2016.

A rise in inclusion training is not leading to employee action

Today, nearly all companies offer bias or allyship training. Yet the marked increase in these trainings has not led to meaningful changes among employees.5 6

A portrait of the author of this quote
“The biggest thing is creating allies and having programs that aren’t just for traditionally marginalized communities … I don’t think we can advance as easily if we don't have support from allies around us.”

South Asian woman, manager

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Women’s day-to-day experiences largely mirror those of a decade ago

Despite an increase in women’s representation and expanded company efforts, the workplace has not gotten better for women.

Women are far more likely than men to deal with comments and actions that undermine their skills and expertise. For example, women are almost twice as likely as men to be mistaken for being more junior than they are. On top of this, women of color continue to deal with more demeaning interactions, such as hearing others express surprise at their language skills, which can erode their sense of belonging and make it harder to bring their whole selves to work.

Amid these challenges, women remain highly ambitious—and just as ambitious as men.7

By the numbers

More than 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ women feel like they can't talk about their personal lives at work.

By the numbers

Young women are 2x as likely as young men to cite their age as a source of unwanted attention at work.

By the numbers

Less than half of Latinas and Black women say their manager shows interest in their career advancement.

Women experience competence-based microaggressions

Women are far more likely than men to deal with comments and actions that call their credibility or leadership potential into question.8

A portrait of the author of this quote
There's definitely a lot of times where I am the only woman in the room, and there's a feeling of pressure to fit in with the men.

White woman, entry level

Combat the biases women face at work

50 Ways to Fight Bias is a free digital program to empower all employees to identify and challenge bias head-on.

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Men are more optimistic about progress for women—at work and at home

Men and women view progress for women differently: men are more optimistic about the strides women have made and believe the workplace is more supportive of their advancement. In particular, senior-level men stand out as the most optimistic and the least aware of the ongoing barriers women face: nearly 9 in 10 senior-level men think women’s opportunities to advance have improved compared to just over 6 in 10 senior-level women. And while only 1 in 10 senior-level men observe microaggressions against women in the workplace, 4 in 10 senior-level women have seen biased interactions and comments toward other women at work.9

There is also a clear divide in how men and women view their contributions at home. Today, men are far more likely to say they share work equally with their partner. And yet, roughly 4 in 10 women say they’re responsible for most or all housework—the same as in 2016.10

By the numbers

Among senior leaders, 79% of men and 55% of women think women are well represented in senior leadership.

By the numbers

Younger women are 3x more likely than younger men to observe microaggressions against women.

By the numbers

Younger men are the least committed to gender diversity—younger women are the most.

Women continue to say they shoulder more housework

Today, roughly 4 in 10 women with partners say they are responsible for most or all of the housework—the same as in 2016. In contrast, far more men report they share housework equally with their partner.

A portrait of the author of this quote
We’re in a moment for women, for people with traditionally marginalized identities, for so many different people where we have settled for small incremental steps and called them progress instead of the large overarching wholesale changes that we need to make.

Black woman, senior manager

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Allyship at Work is a free program to empower employees to take meaningful action and build an inclusive workplace culture.

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Women in the Workplace 2024 Report Cover

Read the Full 2024 Report

Written in close collaboration with McKinsey & Company, the report includes:

A detailed and intersectional view of women’s experiences
Insights on what’s improved—and what’s stalled or declined
Data-driven recommendations for companies

Past Reports

More Resources

Accelerate your career with Lean In Circles

Lean In Circles combine a leadership curriculum with the power of women coming together—all at no cost to you.

Learn More

Foster an inclusive workplace culture

Allyship at Work is a free program to empower employees to take meaningful action and build an inclusive workplace culture.

Learn More

Combat the biases women face at work

50 Ways to Fight Bias is a free digital program to empower all employees to identify and challenge bias head-on.

Learn More

Footnotes

  1. In this study, except where otherwise noted “senior leadership” refers to individuals at the vice president level or above.
  2. Years to parity estimates were modeled at the industry level using data from companies that participated in any of the last three years of the study. Current representation at the executive level (C-suite + SVP) was projected forward using simulations that incorporated hiring, promotion, and attrition rates until parity thresholds were reached. See report methodology for complete details on parity projection analysis.
  3. Pipeline data for all reports are based on data from the end of the previous year to the beginning of the year of publication and do not reflect changes through the year of publication; LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2023, October 2023; Women in the Workplace 2022, October 2022 ;Women in the Workplace 2021, September 2021; Women in the Workplace 2020, October 2020; Women in the Workplace 2019, October 2019; Women in the Workplace 2018, October 2018; Women in the Workplace 2017, October 2017; Women in the Workplace 2016, October 2016; Women in the Workplace 2015, October 2015.
  4. Support for caregivers of sick or elderly adults constitutes a benefit beyond paid leave (e.g., caregiver reimbursements).
  5. In 2024, 88% percent of companies offer allyship and/or anti-bias training.
  6. For more details on data visualization, see report endnotes.
  7. Unpublished data, question: Do you want to be promoted to the next level? Respondents selected: Yes, I would like to be promoted. Results: women 69%, men 73%.
  8. For more details on data visualizations, see report endnotes.
  9. In this study, “survey respondents who experience microaggressions” refers to those who selected anything other than “None of the above” from the following list. Full question: During the normal course of business, have you experienced any of the following? Select all that apply: Having others take or get credit for your ideas; Having your judgment questioned in your area of expertise; Being mistaken for someone at a lower level; Being interrupted or spoken over more than others; People commenting on your appearance in a way that made you uncomfortable; People commenting on your emotional state (e.g., you’re too angry, feisty, emotional); Feeling judged because of your accent or way of speaking; People expressing doubt or disbelief at your accomplishments; Being confused with someone else of the same race/ethnicity; Other people calling attention to your age unnecessarily; None of the above.
  10. Data comparing the distribution of household responsibilities of men with partners and women with partners.
  11. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2015.
  12. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2020.
  13. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2019.
  14. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2021.
  15. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2017.
  16. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2018.
  17. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace, 2016.