Employers’ commitment to advancing women’s careers continues to decline, and for the first time, fewer women than men are interested in being promoted, according to McKinsey’s “Women in the Workplace 2025” report.
The report, conducted in partnership with LeanIn.Org, includes data from 124 companies in the U.S. and Canada, including 21 in the healthcare sector. Participating organizations submitted data on talent pipelines and human resources policy information. More than 60 HR leaders were interviewed between August and September, and about 9,500 employees were surveyed between July and August.
Here are 10 things to know from the report:
1. Fewer women have sponsors. The biggest gap was among entry-level workers: 45% of men reported having a sponsor, compared to 31% of women. The gap narrowed among managers (46% of men versus 45% of women) and remained slightly in favor of men at senior levels.
2. Even with sponsorship, women are promoted less often. There is a 15% gap in promotion rates between women and men with sponsors. Women with sponsors are promoted at 1.7 times the rate of women without, while men with sponsors are promoted at 2 times the rate of men without.
3. Career importance is similar, but promotion desire lags. Men and women roughly equally value their careers, but women — especially at entry level — are less likely to seek promotion. Eighty percent of entry-level men said they want to be promoted, compared to 69% of women. Among senior leaders, 92% of men and 84% of women expressed interest in promotion.
4. Women remain underrepresented in leadership. For the 11th year in a row, women are underrepresented at all levels, especially leadership. Women represent 49% of entry-level workers, 42% of managers, 39% of senior managers or directors, 35% of vice presidents, 32% of senior vice presidents and 29% of the C-suite across industries.
The gap is wider for women of color, who represent 21% of entry level employees, 14% of managers, 10% of senior managers, 9% of vice presidents and senior vice presidents, and 7% of the C-suite.
5. Healthcare employs more women, but not in top roles. Women comprise 67% of the entry level, 63% of managers, 56% of directors, 49% of vice presidents, 37% of senior vice presidents and 33% of the C-suite.
Industry pipeline benchmarks are reflected at the Fortune 500 level for statistical significance, per the report.
6. Fewer women are promoted to manager roles. For every 100 men promoted to manager in 2025, 93 women and 74 women of color were promoted. However, top-performing companies saw a 7-percentage point increase in women leaders since 2021, while lower-performing companies made little progress.
7. Top companies emphasize diversity. High-performing organizations are more likely to hold leaders accountable for inclusion and to implement practices for identifying bias in promotions and hiring.
8. Women early in careers are less likely to lead. Women in early career roles are far less likely than men to manage people. Four in 10 entry-level women said they had not received a stretch assignment, promotion or leadership or career training in the past two years.
9. Commitment to diversity lags. While 84% of employers said fostering an inclusive culture is a high priority, just 67% said the same for diversity. Only 54% said advancing women’s careers was a high priority, and just 46% said the same for women of color.
10.McKinsey recommends a two-pronged approach. To build fairness, employers should ensure equitable hiring and promotion practices, train managers in career development, and encourage authentic sponsorship. To build inclusion, they should articulate a clear cultural vision, strengthen employee resource groups and empower employees to foster daily inclusion.
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