The State of Women in Corporate America – Daily Flash Briefing

Since 2015, McKinsey & Co. and LeanIn.Org have published an annual report called Women in the Workplace. It’s the largest comprehensive study of the state of women in corporate America, and it gives companies the information they need to advance women and improve gender diversity. Between 2015 and 2021, over 750 companies participated, and more than a quarter of a million people were surveyed on their workplace experiences.

The 2021 report was released this week, which represented data collected from 423 participating organizations employing 12 million people. Out of the 65,000 employees surveyed, interviews were conducted with women of diverse identities, including women of color, LGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities. 

The 2021 findings focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. 

Here are some of the 2021 takeaways.

1. 1 in 3 women have considered changing or leaving their jobs in the past year. Last year, the same report found that 1 and 4 women were making this consideration.
2. While both men and women are reporting higher rates of burnout this year compared to last, the gap between men and women who feel overwhelmed has nearly doubled. 42% of women and 35% of men say they are burned out, compared to 32% of women and 28% of men last year.
3. The proportion of women in the corporate workforce didn’t decline significantly last year, despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, including childcare and virtual learning.
4. The number of women holding some senior roles increased, as well as the number of women of color who were promoted to managerial roles. Specifically, for every 100 men promoted to manager in 2020, 89 white women and 85 women of color were promoted. This is compared with 89 white women and 79 women of color in 2019.
5. 1 in 5 women senior leaders spend a substantial amount of time on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that is not central to their job, compared with fewer than 1 in 10 men senior leaders.

Read the full report for other compelling takeaways.

Get instructions on how to enable our Flash News Briefing skill to your Amazon devices: