The prophet of leaning in has found that, at least in 2025, women are leaning out.
TL;DR
- Fewer women than men want promotions in 2025, a first in ten years, indicating an "ambition gap."
- Lack of supervisor backing and tools contribute to women being less likely to be promoted.
- Stricter return-to-office rules and childcare costs are causing women to reduce hours or leave jobs.
- Workplace DEI initiatives are falling short, with many organizations lacking specific support for women's advancement.
The most recent Women in the Workplace report from Nonprofit Lean In and McKinsey & Co. Indicates that for the first time since this report's inception ten years ago, a notably smaller proportion of women than men are keen on receiving a promotion at their jobs. While 80% of men at the entry-level, 86% at the mid-career stage, and 92% of senior executives expressed interest in advancement, only 69% of women at the entry-level, 82% in their mid-career, and 84% of female senior executives stated they wished to progress in their professional lives. This information was gathered from 124 organizations employing 3 million individuals, alongside discussions with 62 human resources leaders.
In 2023, 81% of both men and women surveyed said they were interested in getting promoted, including 93% of women under 30, highlighting an “ambition gap” that has emerged in the past year.
Lean In pointed to a difference in the backing and tools accessible to women at work, such as reduced championing from supervisors, which makes them less prone to being put forward for advancement. The study indicated that when women get comparable professional encouragement to men, the ambition gap concerning the pursuit of a promotion vanishes.
This disparity reflects an increasing trend of women being sidelined professionally, according to Sheryl Sandberg, a former Meta Platforms executive and the creator of the nonprofit Lean In. This year, while male employment has seen an increase of almost 400,000 individuals, female employment has decreased by approximately 500,000, as indicated by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
“This is my fourth decade in the workplace, and we are in a particularly troubling moment in terms of the rhetoric on women,” she told CNN on Tuesday. “You see it everywhere in all the sectors. But what I’ve seen is, you know, we make progress, we backslide. We make progress, we backslide. And I think this is a major moment of backsliding.”
Troubling workplace trends
Stricter requirements for returning to the office and escalating childcare expenses have compelled numerous women to either reduce their working hours or leave their employment entirely, a phenomenon some academics are labeling “The Great Exit.”. The participation of women aged 25 to 44 with children younger than 5 in the workforce has seen a decline from January through June of this year. Fell by about 3%
Women who can still perform their duties remotely, sometimes out of obligation due to child-rearing duties, face the danger of being overlooked at their employment. Many get less feedback and mentorship compared to their colleagues who are physically present at the office. They also experience less likely to be promoted than their male colleagues, receiving fewer salary increases and earning less.
Shifts in work arrangements are also occurring alongside organized initiatives to curb diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within professional settings, as women report that this reversal has affected their professional trajectories, encompassing concerns about prioritizing job security regarding advancement prospects. On his second day in the presidency, Donald Trump rescinded EO 11246, a directive requiring federal contractors to ensure equitable hiring for underrepresented communities such as women and ethnic minorities.
Data from Lean In indicates that ongoing workplace DEI initiatives are also not meeting expectations. While 88% of organizations state they place importance on fostering inclusive environments, merely 54% report dedication to programs aimed at improving women's professional growth, and 48% are committed to actions that promote the advancement of women of color in their jobs. A fifth of the businesses polled mentioned no particular support initiatives for facilitating women's career progression.
“We’ve built systems that aren’t working, and women are bearing the brunt of it,” billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates told Coins2Day in October. “It’s very concerning to see so many women leaving the workforce—but if you’ve been listening all along to what women say about their careers, it’s not surprising.”
French Gates stated that she believes ongoing difficulties for women in professional settings stem from the compromises they must accept, such as juggling employment with family responsibilities. She further noted that women still encounter workplace misconduct and must contend with persistent biases regarding their own managerial potential.
Sandberg views the matter as extending past mere ideology. She contended that overlooking women in professional settings constitutes a perilous financial decision, asserting that if the United States were to elevate women's engagement in the workforce to levels comparable to other affluent nations, it would contribute an extra 4.2% to GDP expansion. Statistics from The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggest a nation's prosperity is correlated with the participation of women tied to its labor force.
“This is a critical issue, not of special treatment,” Sandberg said, “but of making sure we get the best out of our workforce and … are competitive economically.”
