Lean In ads

This week, Lean In in partnership with McKinsey & Company, released the 11th annual Women in the Workplace report, the largest study on the state of women in corporate America. For the first time, women are notably less interested in being promoted than men, especially at the entry and senior levels. But the gap in women’s ambition to advance isn’t for lack of motivation: women are just as motivated as men to do their best work. It’s for lack of support. When women receive the same career support as men, they are equally interested in advancing. With equal support, comes equal ambition. The problem is they often don’t. Take entry-level women: they are less likely to have a sponsor, be recommended for stretch assignments, and have the chance to manage people–all opportunities that lead to advancement. On top of this, only half of companies say they’re prioritizing women’s career advancement, part of a steady decline in commitment. And some companies have scaled back programs that benefit women like remote and flexible work, formal sponsorship, and targeted career development. It’s easy to understand why women feel less optimistic. This year’s Women in the Workplace should serve as a wake-up call to companies. After years of being equally ambitious as men, women are signaling they’ve had enough. To reverse this trend, companies need to invest more in women’s careers, not less. Companies need to make 2026 the year they recommit to women. Download the full report to learn how companies can recommit to women in 2026: https://bit.ly/4azNEtm #WiW2025

Senior women aren’t walking away from ambition — they’re walking away from environments that don’t support them.⁠ ⁠ This year’s Women in the Workplace data among senior women leaders who don’t want to advance, shows they’re more likely than senior men to have been passed over for a promotion and more likely to feel the path to the top isn’t realistic.⁠ ⁠ When the journey feels steeper and lonelier, opting out can feel like the only option.⁠ ⁠ We need workplaces that lift women up — not wear them down.⁠ ⁠ Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/4azNEtm

As Founder & President of Lean In Latinas, I can’t overlook what the #WomenInTheWorkplace25 report tells us: Latinas represent just 1% of the C-suite. That’s a reality we have to change. Companies need to keep investing in fair hiring, real career development, and strong mentorship and sponsorship programs. And here’s the part that always grounds me in hope: Latinas are not short on ambition, quite the opposite. Nearly 9 in 10 Latinas want to move up to the next level, more than any other group of women. The drive is there. The talent is there. Now we need workplaces to step up and match that commitment. Download the full report: https://bit.ly/3XJWgWH

For years, the struggle has stayed the same: women continue to juggle personal and professional responsibilities, often ending up in energy and time debt. For Latinas and Women of Color—especially immigrants who leave their support systems behind—the complexity doubles. In our Women of Color Lean In Seattle Network, we hear this every day: being the primary caregiver, the “everything” for the family, while also carrying cultural expectations to remain in service mode. Women from India, Korea, and other cultures share similar experiences. This year’s Women in the Workplace report, released by Lean In and McKinsey & Company confirms it. Almost 25% of entry- and senior-level women who say they don’t want a promotion cite personal obligations—compared to 15% of men. And women continue to take on significantly more housework. So the internal question remains: Do I lean into my ambition, or do I honor my values—family, care, service? Maybe the answer isn’t choosing one. Maybe the work ahead is finding a sustainable way to honor both—without the cost being so high. ❗📊 The data is clear: what we hear in community spaces is showing up in the research, too. Organizations have a real opportunity to redesign systems so women aren’t carrying the hidden tax of extra work at home and heavier emotional labor at work—while still benefiting from all they bring to teams and economies. Equity isn’t accidental—it’s built with intention. And for us, that intention means creating spaces where women can treat their energy and time as a limited budget, and connect authentically with others who understand their reality. This is what we’re building in our Network. Reach out to hear more! *Full report at womenintheworkplace.com #WomenInTheWorkplace25 #Leadership #Coaching

The 11th Women in the Workplace report, released by Lean In and McKinsey & Company today, shows that corporate America risks rolling back progress for women. Only half of companies are prioritizing women’s career advancement, and more than three in ten are placing no or low priority on women of color’s advancement—part of a several-year trend in declining commitment to gender diversity. For the first time, there’s also a notable ambition gap: 80% of women want to be promoted to the next level, compared to 86% of men—and the gap widens significantly at entry and senior levels. When women receive the same career support that men do, the gap in ambition to advance falls away. Yet women at both ends of the pipeline are still held back by less sponsorship and manager advocacy. (At https://lnkd.in/dit_Adhb you’ll find 5 more things you should know about the state of women this year.) This is a solvable problem, but it requires a greater investment in women’s careers at a time when companies may be deprioritizing them. Some have already scaled back programs beneficial to women like remote work, formal sponsorship, and targeted career development. Corporate America has made hard-earned progress in women’s representation over the past decade—and companies that prioritize gender diversity see bigger gains. For companies that lost focus this year, 2026 should be the year that you recommit to advancing women. Women in the Workplace 2025 includes a research-based roadmap for taking action; here are a few recommendations that stand out to me: • Employees with sponsors are twice as likely to get promoted; yet women continue to have fewer sponsors. Bolster formal sponsorship programs by investing in matching employees with leaders who are positioned to help and tracking outcomes. Also, encourage leaders to sponsor employees outside their network and create opportunities to spark informal connections, which can lead to more authentic, lasting sponsorship. • Managers struggle to provide regular high-quality career support, often due to lack of time. Work with managers’ to audit their responsibilities and find ways AI can free up bandwidth. Then be explicit that managers invest their newfound time on team career development, and build this expectation into performance reviews. Managers will prioritize what gets measured and rewarded. • Research shows that well-designed bias and inclusion trainings work, but the devil is in the details. Avoid one-and-done training, which is mostly ineffective and signals inclusion is not a real priority. Instead, look for options that focus on practical advice, encourage active participation, and assume good intent. Then find ways to incorporate ongoing skill-building into processes that involve all employees like annual reviews. For a full list of recommendations and a detailed look at shifts in HR policies and practices this year, download the full report at womenintheworkplace.com. #WomenInTheWorkplace25

Today, Lean In and McKinsey & Company. released our 11th annual Women in the Workplace report — the largest study on the state of women in corporate America. This year’s report shows Corporate America risks rolling back progress for women. Only half of companies are prioritizing women’s career advancement. And what’s really worrisome is that 2 in 10 companies are placing “no or low” priority on advancing women — a number that grows to 3 in 10 for women of color. Some companies are also scaling programs and policies that are beneficial to women, such as flexible and remote work, formal sponsorship, and career development with content that addresses the unique barriers women face. The good news is these gaps in support are addressable. Companies that offer women the same career development opportunities that men receive will benefit from the full force of their talent and leadership. Let's make 2026 the year companies renew their commitment to advancing women. Read and download the full report: https://bit.ly/4azNEtm #WiW2025