Women Still Face a ‘Broken Rung’ to Promotion
A new report shows that women still face systemic barriers to being promoted.
Women in the workplace are still offered a raw deal, with fewer opportunities for promotion and pay raises than their male counterparts, and less support in terms of sponsorship and mentoring, according to new research by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org.
The annual Women in the Workplace report—which this year is based on survey responses from 9,500 employees and interviews with 62 HR leaders across 124 organizations in the United States and Canada—shows that women continue to face systemic barriers at nearly every stage of their careers.
Here are six takeaways from this year’s report:
1. The Broken Rung Is Real
As in previous years, the survey highlights a persistent “broken rung” at key promotion points, most notably the first step up to manager.
For every 100 men promoted to manager in 2025, only 93 women were promoted. The gap is far wider for women of color: Just 82 Asian women and Latinas were promoted, compared with only 60 Black women.
The authors caution that the 2025 data may actually paint a rosier picture than reality. “The companies that shared their pipeline information this year have a higher representation of women compared to typical companies from 2021 to 2024,” they write.
Early-career women are also missing out on the kinds of sponsorship that most strongly accelerate advancement. Less than one-third—31%—of entry-level women reported having a sponsor, compared with 45% of men at the same level.
Women are particularly unlikely to have senior-level sponsors—the type of advocate most likely to put employees forward for promotions, stretch assignments and high-visibility projects. Employees with sponsors are nearly twice as likely to have been promoted in the past two years as those without, the report found.
2. An AI Imbalance
Alongside familiar headwinds for women in the workplace, the report also points to new ones. Entry-level women receive significantly less encouragement than men to use artificial intelligence tools at work—and, the research suggests, feel less optimistic about the technology as a result.
Only 21% of entry-level women said they receive managerial support to use AI, compared with 33% of men at the same level. Among entry-level women, fewer than four in 10 believe AI will improve their career prospects, versus around six in 10 employees overall.
3. An Ambition Gap
The findings also point to what the authors describe as a growing “ambition gap.”
While women and men report being equally committed to their careers, fewer women say they want to be promoted to the next level—80%, compared with 86% of men.
The gap is especially pronounced among entry-level women over the age of 40 and among senior-level women, many of whom say they do not see a realistic path forward. Some report feeling discouraged by perceptions that senior leaders are burned out or unhappy.
Critically, the research found that when women receive strong sponsorship and consistent support from managers, the ambition gap disappears completely.
4. The Flexibility Trap
Related to this, the authors conclude that flexible and remote work—long hailed as a potential equalizer—may have unintended consequences.
Women who work remotely most of the time are less likely to have sponsors and far less likely to have been promoted than women who work mostly on-site, the research found.
Entry-level women who work primarily remotely were promoted at almost half the rate of men working remotely, raising concerns about “flexibility stigma” and its disproportionate impact on women’s careers.
5. Burnout Risks Are Acute
Beyond advancement, burnout and job insecurity remain acute. More than 40% of employees reported frequent burnout in the past year—the highest level in five years—with senior-level women experiencing the most severe strain.
Nearly three-quarters of senior-level women said they were concerned about job security or their ability to find new work if needed, compared with lower levels among men at the same stage.
6. Commitment to Change Is Lacking
Finally, despite widespread agreement among employees that fair processes and inclusive workplaces lead to better outcomes, the research shows that company commitment appears to be weakening.
Only about half of organizations say women’s career advancement is a high priority, which is down sharply from previous years. Some companies have scaled back leadership programs, sponsorship initiatives and flexible work policies that have been shown to disproportionately benefit women.
Without renewed focus and accountability, the report warns, organizations risk locking in gender inequality at a time when talent retention, productivity and employee trust are already under pressure.
