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Findings suggest women’ s professional development was only a priority for half of US businesses in 2025.
‘Many companies are overlooking women – and it’s crucial that they don’t,’ reads the opening line of the 2025 Women in the Workplace report. What follows is no more encouraging. The state of play across the corporate landscape is pretty dire where gender parity is concerned.
The standout finding was that only half of US businesses considered women’s career progression a priority last year (down significantly from just a few years ago).
Even worse, a little over 20% of companies are now placing low or no priority on women’s advancement, a number which rises to 30% for women of colour. This attitude is tangible for both employers and workers, with women notably less ambitious than men in many of the report’s case studies.
With little promise of a promotion, fewer women are bothered about chasing them. And why should they? What’s the point in working yourself into the ground when there’s no chance of reward?
The lackluster support from companies is problem enough, but it’s even more alarming given women are already disproportionately disadvantaged in the workplace.
They often aren’t receiving the same resources, support and opportunities from their employers than men are – and stubborn patriarchal attitudes around child-rearing and domestic duties mean women face far more obstacles throughout the course of their career. Not least having to make numerous decisions and sacrifices to fulfil a multitude of expected duties beyond the office.
The gender ambition gap isn’t about ambition.
Based on the latest @McKinsey Women in the Workplace report, when women receive the same career support as men, the gap in desire to advance disappears entirely.
The issue isn’t motivation. It’s sponsorship.
— JodiJefferson (@JodiJefferson) January 29, 2026
The Women in the Workplace study found that women in senior-level roles are less likely to have a manager who shows interest in their career advancement, gives them projects that align with their goals, or advocates for them and their work. Women are also less likely to receive emotional support in the workplace, with only 50% of managers regularly checking in on their general wellbeing.
It’s the same story at the lower end of the career ladder, too. Women in entry-level jobs are also less likely to be promoted than their male colleagues, less likely to be recommended for stretch assignments, or connected with sponsors who could help with their career development.
