麥肯錫+職場(chǎng)女性2023-英

Women

intheWorkplace20232

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:ABOUTTHESTUDYAboutthestudyWomenintheWorkplaceisthelargeststudyonthestateofwomenincorporateAmerica.1

In2015,McKinsey&CompanyandLeanIn.Orglaunchedthestudytogivecompaniesinsightsandtoolstoadvancegenderdiversityintheworkplace.Between2015and2023,over900companiesparticipatedinthestudy,

andmorethan450,000peopleweresurveyedontheirworkplaceexperiences.Thisyear,

wecollectedinformationfrom276participatingorganizationsemployingover10millionpeople,surveyedmorethan27,000

employees,andconductedinterviewswithpeopleofdiverseidentities,includingwomenofcolor,LGBTQ+

women,andwomenwithdisabilities.2Signuptoparticipateinthe2024studyat.3

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:TABLE

OFCONTENTSTable

ofContents4

Introduction5

PART

1

Stateofthepipeline8

PART

2

Debunkingfourmythsonthestateofwomen9Onwomen’sambition13

Onwomen’scareerprogression16

Onwomen’severydayexperiences22

On?exibilityandthefutureofwork29

PART

3

Recommendations

forcompanies42

Acknowledgments43

Reportauthors44

Corporatepipelinebyindustry46

Methodology48

Endnotes4

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONDebunkingFourMythsThatHoldWomen

BackFortheninthyearoftheWomen

intheWorkplacereport,westartwiththecorporatepipelinebecauseito?ersabird’s-eyeviewofthestateofwomenincorporateAmerica.Thestoryisbothencouragingandfrustrating.Overthelastseveralyears,therehavebeensizablegainsinseniorleadership.3

Thisisanimportantstepintherightdirectionandshowswhatcompaniescanaccomplishwhentheyfocustheire?ortsonawell-understoodproblem.However,

withlaggingprogressinthemiddleofthepipeline—andapersistentunderrepresentationofwomenofcolor—trueparityremainspainfullyoutofreach.4Thisyear’sreportdebunksfourmythsaboutwomen’sworkplaceexperiencesandcareeradvancement.Afewofthesemythscoveroldground,butgiventhenotablelackofprogress,theywarrantrepeating.Afewhavere-emergedandintensi?edwiththeshiftto?exiblework.5We

hopehighlightingthemwillhelpcompanies?ndapathforwardthatcastsasideoutdatedthinkingonceandforallandacceleratesprogressforwomen.Thefutureofworkforwomendependsongettingthisright.PART

1State

ofthePipeline6

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:PIPELINEDespite

gains

at

the

top,

womenremain

underrepresentedOverthepastnineyears,women—andespeciallywomenofcolor—remainunderrepresentedacrossthecorporatepipeline.6However,

weseeagrowingbrightspotinseniorleadership.

Since2015,thenumberofwomenintheC-suitehasincreasedfrom17to28percent,andtherepresentationofwomenattheVPandSVPlevelshasalsoimprovedsigni?cantly.REPRESENTATION

INTHECORPORATE

PIPELINEBY

GENDERANDRACE7WOMENMEN%ofemployeesbylevelatthestartof2023SR.MANAGER/DIRECTORENTRYLEVELMANAGERVPSVPC-SUITEWHITEMEN34%18%29%42%48%53%14%58%56%MENOFCOLOR18%27%16%27%15%15%21%WHITEWOMEN22%26%7%WOMENOFCOLOR18%13%6%7%9%2023TOTAL

WOMEN48%7%40%8%36%13%33%22%+6pp27%17%28%65%%CHANGEFROM2015–2023%POINTCHANGEFROM2015–2023+3pp+3pp+4pp+4pp+11pp7

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:PIPELINEThese

hard-earned

gainsare

encouraging

yet

fragileProgressremainsslowforwomenatthemanageranddirectorlevels,creatingaweakmiddleinthepipelineandimpactingthemajorityofwomenincorporateAmerica.Andthe“GreatBreakup”continuesforwomenatthedirectorlevel,thegroupnextinlineforseniorleadershippositions.8

Similartolastyear,

womendirectorsareleavingatahigherratethaninpastyears—andatanotablyhigherratethanmenatthesamelevel.Asaresultofthesetwodynamics,therearestrikinglyfewerwomeninlinefortoppositions.9Women

ofcolorfacethesteepestdrop-o?inrepresentationfromentry-leveltoC-suitepositions.Astheymoveupthepipeline,theirrepresentationdropsbytwo-thirds.Womenrepresentroughly1in4C-suiteleaders,andwomenofcolorjust1in16.Moreover,progressforwomenofcolorislaggingbehind.At

nearlyeverystepinthepipeline,therepresentationofwomenofcolorfallsrelativetowhitewomenandmenofthesameraceandethnicity.Untilcompaniesaddressthisinequityheadon,womenofcolorwillremainseverelyunderrepresentedinleadershippositions—andmostlyabsentfromtheC-suite.“Peopleneedtoseeleaderswholooklikethemselvestounderstandthatit’s

possibleforthem.”BLACKWOMANDIRECTOR,WORKSHYBRIDLATINAS

OFTENDON’TSEETHEMSELVES

INLEADERSHIPLatinasstandoutasbeingtheleastlikelyofanygroupofwomentoreceivearaiseinthelastyearandalsofacethesteepestclimbupthecorporateladder:only1percentofC-suiteexecutivesareLatina.“It’sdishearteningtobepartofanorganizationformanyyearsandstillnotseeapersonlikemeinseniorleadership,”explainsoneLatinaprofessional.“UntilIseesomebodylikemeintheC-suite,I’mnevergoingtoreallyfeellikeIbelong.”P(pán)ART

2FourMythsontheState

ofWomen

atWorkMYTHWomen

arebecominglessambitiousREALITYWomen

aremoreambitiousthanbeforethepandemic—and?exibilityisfuelingthatambition10

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:AMBITIONRecentheadlinessuggestthatwomen’sambitionisdiminishing.Ourdatatelladi?erentstory.

Women

remainhighlyambitious,and?exibleworkishelpingthempursuetheirambitions.Women

are

equallyas

ambitious

as

menWomen

ofcolorareevenmoreambitiousthanwhitewomen:96%saythattheircareerisimportanttothem,and88%wanttobepromotedtothenextlevel.At

everystageofthepipeline,womenareascommittedtotheircareersandasinterestedinbeingpromotedasmen.Womenandmenatthedirectorlevel—whentheC-suiteisincloserview—arealsoequallyinterestedinseniorleadershiproles.Andyoungwomenare“especiallyambitious.10

Ninein10wanttobepromotedtothenextlevel,and3in4aspiretobecomeseniorleaders.Moreover,thepandemicandincreased?exibilitydidnotdampenwomen’sambitions.Roughly8in10womenwanttobepromotedtothenextlevelthisyear,

comparedto7in10in2019.11

Andthesameholdstrueformen.Inmynextrole,Ihopetobeadirector.

Ilikemycurrentrole,butIwouldliketoseemyselfmovingup.”LATINA

MOTHERSENIORMANAGER,WORKSON-SITEWOMENAREJUSTAS

COMMITTEDTO

THEIRCAREERSANDADVANCING

AS

MEN%ofwomenandmenandthose30andunderwhosaytheircareerisimportanttothemandtheyareinterestedinbeingpromotedtothenextlevelViewcareerasimportantAllemployees

Age30andunderInterestedingettingpromotedtothenextlevelAllemployees

Age30andunder97%96%96%96%94%93%81%81%MENWOMENMENWOMENMEN

WOMENMENWOMEN11

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:AMBITIONWorkplace

?exibility

helpsunlock

women’s

ambitionsWomenwhoworkhybridorremotelyareasambitiousaswomenandmenwhoworkon-site.Also,womenwhowork?exiblyarejustasambitiousaswomenwhodon’twork?exibly.Infact,?exibilityisallowingwomentopursuetheirambitions.Onein5womensay?exibilityhashelpedthemstayattheirorganizationoravoidreducingtheirhours.Alargenumberofwomenwhoworkhybridorremotelypointtofeelinglessfatiguedandburnedoutasaprimarybene?t.Andamajorityofwomenreporthavingmorefocusedtimetogettheirworkdonewhentheyworkremotely.Womenwhoworkhybridorremotelyarenomorelikelythanwomenwhoworkon-sitetoconsiderreducingtheirhoursorswitchingtoalessdemandingjob.“FlexibleworkhasmadememoreproductivebecauseIcanbuildworkaroundwhateverI’vegotgoingonwithmypersonallife.IfIwakeupearlyinthemorning,Icanjumponlineandgothroughemailsrealquick.”WHITEWOMAN,MOTHERDIRECTOR,WORKSREMOTELYWOMEN

WHOWORK

HYBRIDORREMOTELY

AREAS

AMBITIOUSAS

WOMENANDMENWHOWORK

ON-SITE%ofwomenandmenwhoareinterestedinbeingpromotedtothenextlevelInterestedingettingpromotedtothenextlevelWOMENMENRemoteRemoteHybridOn-siteHybridOn-site85%83%80%80%79%79%12

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:AMBITIONWomen’s

ambition

remains

higheven

as

they

prioritize

theirpersonal

lives

moreThepandemicshowedwomenthatanewmodelofbalancingworkandlifewaspossible.Now,

fewwanttoreturntothewaythingswere.Mostwomenaretakingmorestepstoprioritizetheirpersonallives,butatnocosttotheirambition—theyremainjustascommittedtotheircareers,andjustasinterestedinadvancing,aswomenwhoaren’t.Thesewomenaredefyingtheoutdatednotionthatworkandlifeareincompatible—andthatonecomesattheexpenseoftheother.“Menarealsoprioritizingbothlifeandcareer:Roughly60%ofmenaretakingmorestepstoprioritizetheirpersonallives,andlikewomen,theyarejustasambitiousasmenwhoaren’t.Thehouseiscrazy.

Adog,ourfourkids,awife.Beingabletojuggleallthatisgoingoninthepersonallifebyhaving?exibilityatworkisextremelyimportant.Itleadstoahealthybalancefrommyperspectivebetweenworkandpersonallife.”WHITEMAN,FATHERDIRECTOR,WORKSHYBRIDWOMEN

WHOAREINVESTINGMOREINTHEIRPERSONALLIVESAREJUSTAS

AMBITIOUSWOMEN12MEN%ofwomenandmenwhoareandaren’ttakingmorestepstoprioritizepersonalliveswhoseecareerasimportantandwanttobepromoted97%Viewcareerasimportant97%Taking

morestepstoprioritizetheirlives83%Interestedingettingpromotedtothenextlevel82%96%96%ViewcareerasimportantNottakingmoresteps80%80%InterestedingettingpromotedtothenextlevelMYTHThebiggestbarriertowomen’sadvancementisthe“glassceiling”REALITYThe“brokenrung”isthegreatestobstaclewomenfaceonthepathtoseniorleadership14

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:BROKENRUNGTheglassceiling—atermcoinedover40yearsagotodescribeaninvisiblebarrierpreventingwomenfromreachingseniorleadership—isoftencitedastheprimaryreasonmorewomendon’trisetothetop.Ourdatapointtoabiggerproblemmuchearlierinthepipeline.The

broken

rung

remains

the

biggestbarrier

women

face“I’vealwaysdoneeverytask,everyFortheninthconsecutiveyear,

womenfacetheirbiggesthurdleatthe?rstcriticalstepuptomanager.

Thisyear,

forevery100menpromotedfromentryleveltomanager,

87womenwerepromoted.Andthisgapistrendingthewrongwayforwomenofcolor:thisyear,

73womenofcolorwerepromotedtomanagerforevery100men,downfrom82womenofcolorlastyear.

Asaresultofthisbrokenrung,womenfallbehindandcan’tcatchup.13projectaheadofscheduleandunderbudget,andIstillcouldn’tgetthepromotionsIsawmywhitecolleaguesgetting.”BLACKWOMANC-SUITE,WORKSHYBRIDWOMENLOSE

THEMOSTGROUNDAT

THEFIRSTSTEPUPTO

MANAGERRatioofpromotionstomanagerformenvs.womenForevery100menpromotedtomanager,farfewerwomenarepromoted100918987ProgressforearlycareerBlackwomenremainsthefarthestoutofreach.14

Afterrisingin2020and2021,likelyinresponsetoheightenedfocusontheiradvancement,thenumberofBlackwomenpromotedtomanagerforevery100menhasfallenbackto2019levels.15765420182019

2020

2021

202258

82

96

5458ALLMENALLWHITEASIANLATINASBLACKWOMENWOMEN

WOMEN

WOMEN15

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:BROKENRUNGHere

are

three

things

everycompany

should

know

aboutthe

broken

rung:Women

arenotresponsibleforitOutdatedthinkingoftenpointstotwoexplanationsforthebrokenrung:womenarenotaskingforpromotions,andthey’remorelikelytostepawayfromwork.Neitheristrue.Womenattheentryandmanagerlevelsaskforpromotionsasoftenasmendo,andtheyarenomorelikelytoleavetheircompany—thisyear,

17percentofentry-level

menchosetoleave,comparedto16percentofwomenatthesamelevel.Biasisastrongdriverofthebroken

rungIfwomen’scareerchoicesdon’texplainthebrokenrung,whatdoes?Womenareoftenhiredandpromotedbasedonpastaccomplishments,whilemenarehiredandpromotedbasedonfuturepotential.Thisunfairthinking—rootedinwhatsocialscientistsrefertoas“performancebias”—canbeparticularlychallenging.16Becausewomenearlyintheircareershaveshortertrackrecordsandsimilarworkexperiencesrelativetotheirmenpeers,performancebiascanespeciallydisadvantagethematthe?rstpromotiontomanager.17Almostaquarterofwomen30andundersaythattheiragehascontributedtothemmissingoutonaraise,promotion,orchancetogetahead.“Untilthebroken

rungis?xed,

genderparityinseniorleadershipremainsoutofreachApresidentofatechcompanysaidsomethingthatstuckwithme.Shesaid,‘Womenarehiredforwhattheyhavedone.Menarehiredforwhattheycanbecome.’Women

havetohaveaprovenrecord,butmendonot.”Whilecompaniesareincreasingwomen’srepresentationatthetop,doingsowithoutaddressingthebrokenrungo?ersonlyatemporarystopgap.Becauseofthegenderdisparityinearlypromotions,menendupholding60percentofmanager-levelpositionsinatypicalcompany,whilewomenoccupy40percent.Sincemensigni?cantlyoutnumberwomen,therearefewerwomentopromotetodirector,andthenumberofwomendecreasesateverysubsequentlevel.SOUTHEASTASIANWOMANVICEPRESIDENT,WORKSHYBRIDMYTHMicroaggressionshavea“micro”impactREALITYMicroaggressionshavealargeandlastingimpactonwomen17

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:MICROAGGRESSIONSThetermmicroaggressionsimpliesthey’reinsigni?cant.Thisissimplynottrue.Inreality,microaggressionstakeaheavytollonwomenandinhibittheircareerprogression.Despite

the

“micro”

in

theirname,

microaggressions

havea

macro

impactMicroaggressionsaredemeaningordismissiveMicroaggressionssignaldisrespect,causeacutestress,andcannegativelyimpactwomen’scareersandhealth.18Years

ofdatashowthatwomenexperiencemicroaggressionsatasigni?cantlyhigherratethanmen:theyaretwiceaslikelytobeinterruptedandhearcommentsontheiremotionalstate.Forwomenwithtraditionallymarginalizedidentities,theseslightshappenmoreoftenandareevenmoredemeaning.Asjustoneexample,AsianandBlackwomenareseventimesmorelikelythanwhitewomentobeconfusedwithsomeoneofthesameraceandethnicity.19commentsandactions—rootedinbias—directedatapersonbecauseoftheirgender,

race,orotheraspectsoftheiridentity.Self-shielding,alsoknownasself-monitoring,referstoe?ortstoavoidorprotectoneselffrommistreatmentbycontinuouslymodifyingone’sbehaviors.Thisincludescode-switching,restrictingself-expression,orhidingaspectsofone’sidentity.Asaresult,theworkplaceisamentalmine?eldformanywomen,particularlythosewithtraditionallymarginalizedidentities.Womenwhoexperiencemicroaggressionsaremuchlesslikelytofeelpsychologicallysafe,whichmakesithardertotakerisks,proposenewideas,orraiseconcerns.20

Thestakesjustfeeltoohigh.Ontopofthis,78percentofwomenwhofacemicroaggressions—sothevastmajority—self-shieldatwork,oradjustthewaytheylookoractinane?orttoprotectthemselves.21

Forexample,manywomenchoosenottospeakuporshareanopiniontoavoidseemingdi?cultoraggressivetotheircolleagues.Thestresscausedbythesedynamicscutsdeep.Womenwhoexperiencemicroaggressions—andself-shieldtode?ectthem—arethreetimesmorelikelytothinkaboutquittingtheirjobsandfourtimesmorelikelytoalmostalwaysbeburnedout.22

Byleavingmicroaggressionsunchecked,companiesmissoutoneverythingwomenhavetoo?erandrisklosingtalentedemployees.Whythe“micro”inmicroaggressions?Thetermmicroaggressionswascoinedin1970byresearcherstorefertotheprejudicedandexclusionaryactsthatmaybemoresubtlethanovertdiscrimination,butnonethelesshaveabigimpactonwell-being.23Thepopularmisunderstandingthatmicroaggressionsareminororinsigni?cantminimizestherealharmtheycause.18

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:MICROAGGRESSIONSWomen

with

traditionally

marginalizedidentities

face

more

microaggressions

at

workBETTEREXPERIENCEWORSEEXPERIENCEWOMENWITHDISABILITIESLGBTQ+WOMENWHITEWOMENASIANWOMENBLACKWOMENALLMENALLWOMENLATINASMICROAGGRESSIONS

24Challengestocompetence14%17%5%21%23%9%26%33%11%32%39%14%35%OthersgetcreditfortheirideasTheirjudgmentisquestioned21%24%9%17%16%8%15%17%6%22%27%9%They’vebeenmistakenforsomeonemorejuniorThey’reinterruptedorspokenovermorethanothers10%22%30%22%19%19%24%Demeaningand“othering”O(jiān)therscommentontheirappearance2%6%10%2%3%5%5%12%14%4%13%21%23%6%12%25%25%6%5%12%15%2%3%7%5%10%14%6%6%13%18%15%8%OtherscommentontheiremotionalstateThey’recriticizedfor9%14%7%25theirdemeanorThey’reconfusedwithsomeoneelseofthesamerace/ethnicityTheyfeeljudgedbecauseoftheiraccent4%5%5%2%10%16%Othersmakeassumptions7%8%9%2%17%13%26abouttheircultureASIANWOMENAREOVERLOOKED

AT

WORKAsianwomenaresigni?cantlymorelikelythanwomenoveralltobemistakenforothercolleaguesofthesameraceorethnicity.Thisexperience,whichisalltoocommonforBlackwomenaswell,isnotonlydisrespectful,butitmeanstheircontributionsatworkmaygounnoticed.Inaddition,assumptionsabouttheirculturesignalalackofattentionandrespect.“I’vegottenmistakenforChinese,”explainsoneFilipinomanager.

“PeoplewillaskmeaboutsomekindofChinesedelicacyassumingthatallAsianbackgroundsarethesame.”19

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:MICROAGGRESSIONSAs

microaggressions

harm

women

andthreaten

their

psychological

safety,

theyself-shield

to

protect

themselvesBETTEREXPERIENCEWORSEEXPERIENCEWOMENWITHDISABILITIESLGBTQ+WOMENWHITEWOMENASIANWOMENBLACKWOMENALLMENALLWOMENLATINASSELF-SHIELDINGBEHAVIORS

27Theyfeelpressuretochangetheirappearancetolookmoreprofessional4%8%20%17%9%7%7%9%Theytonedownwhattheysaytoavoidbeingunlikable23%4%32%6%47%35%28%49%29%29%32%6%28%3%26%6%37%5%Theyhideimportantaspectsoftheiridentityto?tinTheyhavetocode-switchtoblendinwithothers9%15%12%15%15%36%Theydon’tspeakuporshareanopiniontoavoidseemingdi?cult22%15%31%42%33%48%41%31%25%24%27%20%39%33%Theyfeelliketheyhavetoperformperfectlytoavoidscrutinyorjudgment25%24%PSYCHOLOGICAL

SAFETYTheydon’tworrythey’llbepenalizedformistakes57%62%52%56%54%48%61%59%54%56%52%49%61%57%52%51%51%44%44%45%39%45%44%37%28Theyfeelcomfortabledisagreeing29withcoworkers30TheyrarelyfeelexcludedBLACK

WOMEN

AREOFTENFORCEDTO

CODE-SWITCHBlackwomenaremorethantwiceaslikelyaswomenoveralltocode-switchatworkbychangingtheirmannerisms,tone,orspeakingstyle.Theyarealsomorelikelythanwomenofotherracesandethnicitiesnottospeakuporshareanopiniontoavoidappearingdi?cultoraggressive.“Ispeakverydi?erentlyathomethanIdoatwork,”

explainsoneBlackwoman.“IfeellikeIhavetobecarefulaboutthewayIsaythings.”20

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:MICROAGGRESSIONSMicroaggressions

lead

to

negativeoutcomes

for

women4.2xmorelikely3.3xmorelikely2.6xmorelikely3.8xmorelikelyWomen

whoexperiencemicroaggressionsandself-shield

31

are...toalmostalwaysfeelburnedouttoconsiderleavingtheircompanytosaytheywouldn’trecommendtheircompany

32tofeeltheydon’thaveanequalopportunitytoadvance

33“It’s

likeIhavetoactextrahappysoI’mnotlookedatasbitterbecauseI’maBlackwoman.AndadisabledBlackwomanatthat.Ifsomeonesayssomethingo?ensivetome,IhavetothinkabouthowtorespondinawaythatdoesnotmakemeseemlikeanangryBlackwoman.”Roughly1in3womenwithdisabilitiesand1in4LGBTQ+

andBlackwomenhavefeltinvisibleorliketheiraccomplishmentsdidn’tgetnoticedatwork.BLACKWOMANWITHAPHYSICALDISABILITYENTRYLEVEL,WORKSREMOTELYLGBTQ+

WOMEN

FEELPRESSURETO

HIDETHEIRFULLIDENTITIESAT

WORKMorethananyothergroupofwomen,LGBTQ+

womenfeeltheneedtohideimportantpartsoftheiridentitiesto?tinatwork.34

Theyarealso2.5timesmorelikelytofeelpressuretochangetheirappearancetobeperceivedasmoreprofessional.Suchself-shieldingbehaviorsmakeitharderforthemtobringtheirauthenticselvestowork.“IhadanexperiencewhereIthinkIgotturneddownforapromotionbecauseofmyhair.

Iwasn’tasgirlyastheothersgoingforthatrole,”

explainsonedirectorwhoidenti?esasbisexual.“And

whenIlookedatmyselfcomparedtotheothers—Ididn’twearmakeupandIdidn’twearjewelry—Ididn’thaveanexecutivepresence.”21

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:MICROAGGRESSIONS“INTHEIRWORDSThere’snotasmanypeopleofcolororevenwomen,soIdofeellikeyouneedtopresentyourselfacertainwayinordertobetakenseriouslyorevenconsidered.”SOUTHASIANWOMANENTRYLEVEL,WORKSHYBRID“Ihadanexperiencewithaboss…beingpaintedassassy,feisty,orrude.IfeellikeIhavetobesocarefulabouthowI’mdoinghere—aboutwhatI’mdoinghere—becauseIjustfeellikeI’mreallygoingtogetmischaracterizedifI’mnotcarefulwithmywords.”“LATINA,TRANSWOMANENTRYLEVEL,WORKSON-SITE“We

experience[a]senseofun-belonginginmanyspacesandconstantmicroaggressionsbasedonouridentitiesasindigenouspeople.”Ican’tchangethecolorofmyskin,andthatiswhatmakeseveryoneafraidwhenIwalkintoaroom.It’sthecolorofmyskin.Ican’teraseit.At

theendoftheday,

ifIdidnothavethiscolorskin,Iwouldn’thavetoworkashardasIdotomaintainmyseatandprotectmyname.”INDIGENOUSWOMANDIRECTOR,WORKSHYBRID“AFRO-LATINAWOMANWITHAPHYSICALDISABILITYC-SUITE,WORKSON-SITEBeingbornfemale,andIpresentveryfeminine,peopleassumethatI’mstraightandthatI’mcisgender.[Whenon-site]I’mmentallypreparingmyselfforhowmuchIwanttodiscloseaboutmygender.”WHITENONBINARYPERSONENTRYLEVEL,WORKSHYBRID“WhenIwasclimbingtheladdertoexecutivedirector,IfeltthattheonlywaythatIcouldbesuccessfulwastodoeverythingIpossiblycouldtoassimilate.Iwouldwatchhowthewhitefemaleleaderswoulddress,howtheywouldcommunicate,howtheywouldinteract.IfeltIneededtolooklikethat,soundlikethat,andmodelthat.”LATINAMANAGER,WORKSHYBRIDMYTHIt’s

mostlywomenwhowant—andbene?tfrom—?exibleworkREALITYMenandwomensee?exibilityasa“top3”employeebene?tandcriticaltotheircompany’s

success23

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:FLEXIBILITYStereotypesaboutwomensuggesttheyaretheonlyworkerswhocareabout?exibility.Inreality,amajorityofmenandwomenplaceahighpremiumon?exibleworkandpointtoitasakeybene?t.Employees

view

?exibility

as

vitaltoday—and

for

the

future

of

workFlexibilityreferstoremoteorhybridwork,aswellas?exibleworkoptionssuchastheabilitytosetyourownhours.Avastmajorityofemployeessaythatopportunitiestoworkremotelyandhavecontrolovertheirschedulesaretopcompanybene?ts,secondonlytohealthcare.Workplace?exibilityevenranksabovetried-and-truebene?tssuchasparentalleaveandchildcare.Formothers,?exibilityisnotjustaboutwhere—butalsowhen—theywork.Motherswithyoungchildrenareespeciallylikelytorank?exibleschedulingasatopemployeebene?t.36

Andwithout?exibility,38%saythattheywouldhavehadtootherwiseleavetheircompanyorreducetheirworkhours.Flexibilityisalsocoretohowemployeesviewthefutureofwork.Halfofwomenandathirdofmenpointto“o?eringsigni?cant?exibilityinwhenandwhereemployeeswork”asatop-threefactorintheircompany’sfuturesuccess.Asworkplace?exibilitytransformsfromanice-to-haveforsomeemployeestoacrucialbene?tformost,womencontinuetovalueitmore.Thisislikelybecausetheystilldoadisproportionateamountofchildcareandhouseholdwork.35EMPLOYEES

HIGHLY

VALUE

OPPORTUNITIESTO

WORK

FLEXIBLYWOMENMEN%ofwomenandmensayingthesebene?tsaremostimportanttothem83%79%Healthcarebene?ts78%OpportunitiestoworkremotelyControloverwhenyouwork60%68%54%38%Mentalhealthbene?ts24%25%Bereavementleave18%22%17%Parentalleave22%Childcareandcaregiverbene?ts15%12%14%Opportunitiestoworkon-site24

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:FLEXIBILITYACLOSER

LOOKEmployeesareincreasinglycomfortableworking?exibly“Workingfromhomeyou’regoingtobemorecomfortable,andyou’regoingtogetmoredoneintheprocess.”Amajorityofwomenandmenworkmore?exiblythantheydidbeforethepandemic,andrelativelyfewfeeljudgedorworryitwillnegativelyimpacttheircareers.Mostnotably,womenarefarmorelikelytofeelsetuptosucceedwhentheyworkthiswaythantheydidtwoyearsago.WHITEWOMANENTRYLEVEL,WORKSHYBRIDWOMENAREFAR

MORECONFIDENTWORKINGFLEXIBLY

THANTHEYWERE2YEARSAGO

37%ofemployeeswhosaytheyfeelthiswaywhenworking?exiblySetuptosucceedWorried

thatitwillhurtmycareer2021

20232021202332%27%18%13%12%11%10%9%MENWOMENMENWOMENMENWOMENMENWOMEN25

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WOMENINTHEWORKPLACE:FLEXIBILITYThe

ability

to

work

remotely

deliversbene?ts

to

most

employeesHybridandremoteworkaredeliveringimportantbene?tstoemployees.Mostwomenandmenpointtobetterwork-lifebalanceasaprimarybene?tofremotework,andamajoritymentionlessfatigueandburnout.Andresearchshowsthatgoodwork-lifebalanceandlowburnoutarekeytoorganizationalsuccess.38Women

andmencitestress-reducingupsideswithremotework.Twenty-ninepercentofwomenand25%ofmenwhoworkremotelysay