3 Key Points About the State of Women in the Workplace

We often focus on the “glass ceiling,” but in their 2019 Women in the Workplace study, McKinsey & Co. and LeanIn.org say the biggest obstacle may be a “broken rung” on the ladder to leadership.

• • In 2019, 44% of companies surveyed had three or more women in their c-suite, up from 29% in 2015. Yet, overall, only about one in five c-suite executives is a woman, and only one in 25 is a woman of color.
  • The first step up to manager is the biggest hurdle, McKinsey finds. For every 100 men promoted and hired to manager, only 72 women were promoted and hired.
  • Why this matters: As the report explains, “Since men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, there are significantly fewer women to hire or promote to senior managers. The number of women decreases at every subsequent level.”

Note: The report acknowledges Women’s Foodservice Forum among other organizations as key contributors to the study.