This document provides a summary of McKinsey & Company's 2022 research on women in the workplace. Some key findings include:
- Women remain underrepresented in leadership roles, though representation has increased slightly over time. Women of color continue to lose representation at higher levels.
- Women leaders, especially women of color, are leaving their jobs at higher rates than in previous years due to factors like lack of flexibility, advancement opportunities, and burnout.
- Barriers like unequal promotion rates for women persist, with women and particularly women of color less likely to be promoted to manager compared to men.
- Remote and hybrid work models may help address issues like microaggressions that some women, especially women with disabilities
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2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing
1. CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY
Any use of this material without specific permission
of McKinsey & Company is strictly prohibited
2022
Women in the
Workplace
2. McKinsey & Company 2
Our Eighth year
This year…
333 Participating companies
12 million+ Employees in
participating companies
34 in-depth 1-on-1 interviews
40,000+ Employees surveyed on
workplace experiences
Note: In this document, “women” includes cisgender and transgender women. Due to small sample sizes for transgender women, data are
reported for “women overall” or “LGBTQ+ women” in aggregate. Women of color include Black, Latina, Asian, Native American/American
Indian/Indigenous or Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, or mixed-race women. Due to small sample sizes for
other racial and ethnic groups, reported findings on individual racial/ethnic groups are restricted to Black women, Latinas, and Asian women.
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
Women in the Workplace is a multi-year
joint research effort by McKinsey &
Company and LeanIn.org. It is the largest
comprehensive study of the state of
women in corporate America
Since the launch of the report in 2015, 810+
companies have participated in the study, and
400,000+ employees have been surveyed on their
workplace experiences.
3. McKinsey & Company 3
Companies are
facing two major
pipeline challenges
McKinsey & Company 3
3
McKinsey & Company
4. McKinsey & Company 4
Despite modest progress, women are still
dramatically underrepresented in leadership
Employees by level as of year-end 2021, %
End of 2016 47 37 33 29 21 20
’16 to ’21
change
1pp 3pp 3pp 3pp 7pp 6pp
48
End of 2021 40 36 32 28 26
Men of color
White women
Women of color
White men
% of women1
Women’s representation
has shown signs of
progress throughout the
pipeline, but women of
color continue to lose
ground at every step
Women also remain
deeply
underrepresented in
technical roles; women in
technical roles are 2X as
likely as women overall to
say they’re the “only
woman in the room”
13
21
61
13
23
58
14
24
54
16
26
47
19
27
41
19
29
33
5
6
8
10
C-suite
SVP
VP
Sr. Manager /
Director
Manager
Entry level
19
14
Note: Total percent of women and men per level in the race and gender pipeline may not sum to overall corporate pipeline totals, as the race pipeline does not
include employees with unreported race data. Some percentages may sum to 99 percent or 101 percent due to rounding. Pipeline data in this report are based
on data from the end of 2021 and do not reflect changes through 2022
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research 4
McKinsey & Company
5. McKinsey & Company 5
‘The great breakup’ - women leaders are leaving
their companies at the highest rate in years
Source: 2018-2022 Women in the Workplace research
Voluntary attrition for women vs. men leaders from 2017 to 2021, %
7.4
9.0
7.9
10.5
+22%
+33%
Historical average 2021 rate
“1 up, 2 out”
For every woman
director promoted to
the next level, two
women directors are
choosing to leave
their company
Men Women
Note: Voluntary attrition rates for men and women leaders (L4 to L1) were calculated by weighting each employee level’s voluntary attrition rate by the end of
year composition. “Voluntary attrition” refers to employees who left their organization of their own volition. Women and men leaders refers to employees at the
senior manager / director, vice president, senior vice president, and c-suite levels; 4-year average voluntary attrition from 2017-2020
5
McKinsey & Company
6. McKinsey & Company 6
The “broken rung” is still broken – women of color especially are
less likely to overcome this barrier
For every 100 men
promoted to manager
…and only 82 women of color
are promoted, compared to 85
women of color last year
…only 87 women
are promoted
This is as broken as last year for
women overall..
..And more broken for women of
color
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace report and analysis
Note: Assumes an equal number of men, women, and women of color at entry level available to be promoted
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McKinsey & Company
8. McKinsey & Company 8
Women leaders want to
advance, but face stronger
headwinds than men
Women leaders are
overworked at work and at
home and under-recognized
Women leaders are seeking a
different culture of work
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace report and analysis
Note: “Women leaders” refers to women employees at the senior manager / director, vice president, senior vice president, and c-suite levels
3 primary factors are driving women leaders’ decision to leave
37% have had a
coworker get credit
for their idea 2x more likely to be
mistaken for someone
more junior
43% are burned out
2x as likely to spend
substantial time on DEI,
despite it going unrecognized
in performance reviews
49% say flexibility is a
top three consideration in
deciding to join or stay at a
company
Women leaders…
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McKinsey & Company
9. McKinsey & Company 9
Women leaders are also overworked
at home and as women advance, they continue
to shoulder most of their household labor
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McKinsey & Company
2X
as likely as men
to be doing all the
family’s housework
(for entry-level women)
4X
as likely as men
at their level to be responsible
for family’s housework and
caregiving (for women leaders)
13
52
30
58
21
58
Entry Level First-level manager Senior manager and up
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
1. Height, not width, represents differences in household labour
Note: “Women leaders” refers to women employees at the senior manager / director, vice president, senior vice president, and c-suite levels
Men leaders Women leaders
Responsible for most or all housework and/or childcare by gender, %1
10. McKinsey & Company 10
Companies are also at risk of losing young women
The reasons why women leaders are switching jobs are factors that are becoming increasingly important to women –
especially young women1
66
76
31
58
31
41
42
56
55
68
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
Factors that have become more important in the past 2 years, %
1. Reasons women leaders are switching jobs include the opportunity to advance, flexibility, company commitment to DEI, an unsupportive manager, and an
unmanageable workload
Note: “Women leaders” refers to women employees at the senior manager / director, vice president, senior vice president, and c-suite levels; young women is
defined as women under 30
Flexibility
Opportunity
to advance
Company
commitment to DEI
Level of manager
support
Company
commitment to
well-being
Women under 30
Women leaders
10
McKinsey & Company
11. McKinsey & Company 11
Some women face more bias…
Don’t worry they’ll be penalized for
mistakes
57 56 61 56 61 51 44 45
Feel comfortable disagreeing with co-
workers
62 54 59 52 57 51 45 44
Rarely feel excluded
52 48 54 49 52 44 39 37
All men All women
LGBTQ+
Women
Women with
disabilities White women Asian women Latinas Black women
All women
LGBTQ+
Women
Women with
disabilities White women Asian women Latinas
All men Black women
Others comment on their appearance
4 7 14 13 7 5 7 9
They've been criticized for their
demeanor
10 14 23 25 15 9 14 18
Others make assumptions about their
culture or nationality
5 7 9 8 2 17 16 13
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
Worse experience
Better experience
10 16 21 23 16 15 16 19
They've been mistaken
for someone more junior
24 31 39 47 31 24 28 36
Their judgement is questioned
21 27 33 36 27 25 24 26
Others get credit for their ideas
Respondents experiencing or agreeing with the following statements, %
Microaggressions
Psychological safety
Demeaning and
"othering"
comments
Challenges to
competence
12. McKinsey & Company 12
…and receive less support at work
Has strong allies on team 59
63 65 73 62 67 59 63
Senior coworker publicly praised their skills 49
53 54 59 52 56 51 48
Senior coworker advocated for a raise for
them
23
31 31 33 29 33 24 27
Manager support All women
LGBTQ+
Women
Women with
disabilities White women Asian women Latinas
All men Black women
Manager checks in on their well-being 60 64 70 64 66 60 60 60
Manager promotes inclusion on their team 53 53 61 53 55 52 48 47
Manager shows interest in their career 39 38
42 44 53 41 46 45
Sponsorship & allyship All men All women
LGBTQ+
Women
Women with
disabilities White women Asian women Latinas Black women
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
Worse experience
Better experience
Respondents experiencing or agreeing with the following statements, %
14. McKinsey & Company 14
Flexibility is
here to stay
82%
of employees want
flexible work options1
71%
of HR leaders say
remote work
has helped them
hire and retain diverse
employees
86%
of companies plan to
keep or expand their
flexible work options
47%
of employees say
flexible work options
factor into their
decision to join or stay
with an organization
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
1. Employees that said they want to work mostly remotely or split time evenly between remote and onsite 14
McKinsey & Company
15. McKinsey & Company 15
Women experience fewer microaggressions
when they work remotely at least some of the
time
19 24 29
27 37 39
31 38 43
23 30 36
Work mostly remote Work hybrid Work mostly on-site
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
Note: An “othering microaggression” refers to: Having had others comment on your appearance in a way that makes you uncomfortable; People making
assumptions about your culture or nationality (e.g., asking you where you're “really from”); Being criticized for your demeanor (e.g., being told you look mad or
should smile more); Hearing or overhearing negative comments about your accent or way of speaking
Women with
disabilities
are almost
1.5x as likely
to experience
microaggressions
when they work
mostly on-site
Women who experienced “othering” microaggressions when they work mostly
remote, hybrid and mostly on-site, %
All women
LGBTQ+
women
Women with
disabilities
Women
of colour
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16. McKinsey & Company 16
Employees who can choose their work arrangements have better
experiences and are less likely to leave
81 61
67 47
64 41
30 21
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
Note: “Women work where they want” refers to women who work mostly remotely and want to work mostly remotely or women who work mostly on-site and want
to work mostly on-site. “Women don’t work where they want" refers to women who work mostly remotely and want to work mostly on-site or women who work
mostly on-site and want to work mostly remotely. Neither group includes women who work or want to work in a hybrid environment
Women who do not work where they want
Women who work where they want
Women who report the following by alignment of work preference,%
I’m happy with my job
I feel like I have equal
opportunity
I am unlikely to leave in the
next year
I am rarely burnt out
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17. McKinsey & Company 17
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Managers are key to
retaining women —but
they need more support
to get this right
18. McKinsey & Company 18
Expectations for managers are high, but they aren’t always rising to
the challenge or receiving the right training
53
80
Inclusion
Encouraged respectful and
inclusive behavior on your team
Promote inclusion
on their teams
50
43
60
Career
development
Help employees
develop their careers
Showed interest in
career advancement
Made sure you got
credit for your work
62 38
78
Well-being
Support employee
well-being
Checked in on
your personal well-being
Worked with you to make sure
your workload is manageable
Expectations of people managers
% of HR leaders who say expectations for managers have increased
Actions consistently taken by managers
% of employees who say their managers consistently do these actions
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
Although expectations have risen, companies are not providing the training needed for managers to effectively manage hybrid
and diverse teams
19. McKinsey & Company 19
When managers show up consistently, women are happier, less
burned out, and less likely to leave
Employees who reported these outcomes, by number of manager actions1, %
+37
92
55
Happy with job Would recommend
organization
Rarely burned out Unlikely to leave in
the next year
+33
92
59
+19
38
19 +38
75
37
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
When managers take all key actions
When managers take no key actions
1. Outcomes when managers take all or none of the following actions for employees: give helpful feedback, help manage workload, show interest in career,
check-in on well-being, ensure credit for work, encourage inclusivity and respect on team
20. McKinsey & Company 20
Recommendations
for companies
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McKinsey & Company
21. McKinsey & Company 21
Table stakes
Over the years we have seen
certain DEI policies become ‘table
stakes’:
• Tracking DEI data
• Providing unconscious bias
training
• Offering benefits, including
healthcare, mental health
support, bereavement support,
or paid sick and family leave
• Providing career development
Leading policies
Top performing companies
differentiate themselves through
several ‘leading’ policies:
• Setting DEI goals and holding
leaders accountable
• Training managers on
fostering diverse, inclusive and
hybrid teams
• Offering leading benefits
• Implementing targeted
sponsorship programs
Next horizon practices
We are also seeing the
emergence of some ‘next horizon’
DEI policies:
• Tracking outcomes for remote,
hybrid and onsite employees
• Linking progress on diversity to
financial incentives
• De-biasing core processes like
recruiting and promotions
Note: Table stakes are practices offered by ≥75% of 2022 participants. Leading policies are less standard (e.g., offered by < 75%) and are more prevalent in
companies that have both improved women’s representation and outperformed their industry from 2019 to 2022 when compared to other companies with data
from the same time period. Next horizon practices are those implemented by (< 30% participants in 2022) but are emerging with promising early results
We are seeing the emergence of leading DEI practices
Not exhaustive
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research 21
McKinsey & Company
22. McKinsey & Company 22
Deep dive: “Top performing” companies share a focus on priority
practices to overcome DEI challenges
Top performers
Non-top performer companies
Practices in place, by company performance, % of respondents (n=97)
Employee
benefits
Career
development
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
Note: Leading policies are offered by < 75% of 2022 participants and are more prevalent in companies that have both improved women’s representation and
outperformed their industry from 2019 to 2022 when compared to other companies with data from the same time period
Manager
trainings
Data tracking
0 100
80
60
40
20
Personal leave for mental health care
Ability for caregivers of adults to take extended time off and return to a similar role
Support for miscarriage
Emergency backup childcare services
Ability for parents to take extended time off and return to a similar role
Formal sponsorship program focused on women
Formal sponsorship program focused on women of color
Companies provide opportunities to learn and develop skills in employee retention efforts
Train managers on how to facilitate team conversations about diversity issues
Train managers on how to make sure promotions on their team and fair & equitable
Train managers on communicating with remote employees
Train managers helping employees set boundaries on their availability
Preferences for flexible scheduling in employee surveys
Set numeric goals for representation at senior levels of management for race/ethnicity
Diversity metrics are shared publicly outside the organization
Not exhaustive
23. McKinsey & Company 23
Actions
companies can
take
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research
De-aggregate the data
Track metrics at a granular level to understand pipeline and experiences of specific job roles
and intersectional groups to inform more targeted solutions
Equip managers to meet the new bar
Upskill managers on topics critical to managing hybrid and diverse teams, including how to
manage workload, enable connectivity, and ensure equitable promotions and career
development
Re-define how work can be done
Communicate hybrid work guidelines, gather regular feedback from employees, foster
connectedness, and be purposeful about in-person work
Close the gap between paper and practice
Move beyond offering a program to ensuring efficacy by tracking participation, outcomes,
and satisfaction, with a rigorous program to improve
Support the whole employee
Minimize impact of imbalances outside workplace by providing enhanced emergency care
benefits, and expanded support for mental health and broader wellness
Create a culture of accountability for DEI
Reward leaders who are stepping up, hold those who are not delivering accountable, and
increase transparency on progress against DEI goals
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McKinsey & Company
24. McKinsey & Company 24
Actions
leaders and
individuals
can take
Make sure women’s ideas are heard
Role model allyship by calling out microaggressions so women (especially women of color)
don’t have to always self advocate for inclusive culture
Interrupt bias in the moments that matter
Challenge the likeability penalty, ensure balanced language in reviews, challenge hiring and
promotion criteria that creates gatekeeping
Mentor and sponsor women
Reflect on personal sponsorship model (your “top ten list”) and how balanced it is, set a bar
for true sponsorship (not just mentorship)
Give women direct feedback
Women often receive less constructive feedback — often vague, couched in
communications vs. business metrics
Celebrate women’s accomplishments
Recognize the valued work of great leaders – as sponsors, managers and DEI champions,
and ensure it is rewarded
Rebalance the small moments
Ensure the informal representation is as balanced as the formal – airtime in meetings,
presenting at conferences, stretch assignments
Source: 2022 Women in the Workplace research 24
McKinsey & Company
25. McKinsey & Company 25
Thank you
Read the full report: www.womenintheworkplace.com
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