The C-Suite Continues to Lack Diversity. When Will We Get It?

According to the 2022 Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey and LeanIn.Org, the C-Suite remains predominantly male and White. Only one in four C-suite leaders was a woman, and just one in 20 was a woman of color.

The report goes on to conclude that, “While women are just as likely as men to seek higher roles, once they’re in them, they tend to face more microaggressions that undermine their authority and send signals that it will be hard for them to advance.”

For instance:

1. Thirty-seven percent of women leaders report having had a coworker who took credit for their idea versus 27 percent of men leaders.
2. Women leaders are twice as likely as their male counterparts to be mistaken for someone more junior.
3. Black women leaders are 1.5 times as likely as women leaders overall to have colleagues say or imply they’re not qualified for their jobs.
4. Women leaders are twice as likely to spend time and energy supporting employee well-being and fostering diversity initiatives, but don’t get rewarded for it.

On a positive note, women who do make it into leadership roles say they are seeking more from their jobs and are willing to jump ship to get it. “Women leaders are leaving their companies at the highest rate ever, and the gap between women and men leaders leaving is the largest it’s ever been,” the study’s authors noted.

Jill, What Can I Do? According to Forbes, you can get more women in leadership roles if you execute on some of these ideas: Interview Qualified Women For Every Open Leadership Role, Offer Strengths-Based Professional Development Plans, Let Go Of Limiting Beliefs About Women Leaders, Set Measurable Hiring And Promotion Goals, Hold An Executive Presence Training For Women, Put Every Leader Through Bias Training, and Do What You Would To Develop A Male Employee. To a future with more diversity…