While women’s representation in healthcare remains higher than in other industries, it has not substantially changed from 2020 to 2024, according to a May 19 report from McKinsey.
The findings come from McKinsey’s “Women in the Workplace” reports in 2020 and 2024, with a focus on healthcare organizations, including providers, payers and technology firms. The 2024 report includes data from 27 healthcare organizations across the U.S. and Canada, and 22 in the 2020 edition.
Here are five takeaways from the analysis:
1. Little change across career stages: Women’s representation did not shift meaningfully over the four-year period across six career stages, from entry-level roles to the C-suite.
2. The C-suite remains disproportionately male, but saw the largest gains: Although women make up the majority of entry-level roles at surveyed organizations, they account for only about one-third of C-suite positions.
Women represented 29% of C-suite leaders in 2020 and 35% in 2024, marking the largest increase in representation across all career levels.
3. Women of color face greater drop-offs: Representation of women of color slightly improved overall, but only the senior vice president level saw a statistically significant increase, McKinsey wrote. Their representation decreases at each step, from entry level to vice president.
4. Promotion and retention challenges persist: The promotion rate for women in healthcare did not improve in 2024, and attrition rates have worsened, with the most substantial increase occurring at the vice president level. External hiring of women also did not significantly increase.
5. Recommendations for progress: McKinsey recommends healthcare organizations strengthen skill development programs for existing employees and maintain flexible workplace policies, which can help reduce burnout and attrition.
