WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE
THE FUTURE
OF WORK FOR WOMEN
E
ach year LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company partner to produce the Women in the Workplace study. Started in 2015, to date over 750 companies have participated in the study, and more than a quarter of a million people have been surveyed on their workplace experiences.
Increases, but Still Behind. Since 2016, women’s representation in the corporate pipeline has increased, however, women still remain significantly underrepresented. And this is even more significant for women of color, especially as the level of responsibility and job title increases. But there is good news! “This year, for the first time, women of color were promoted to manager at about the same rate as women overall: 85 women of color were promoted for every 100 men.” (Women in the Workplace 2021, pg 12)
The 2021 study and findings focused on two main areas – how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted women in the workplace; and the growing importance and attention to women’s experiences in terms of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). One of the themes you will find in the study is INTERSECTIONALITY. And this word is so important because it shows that even though there are many differences of struggle for women in the workplace, companies need to recognize that the struggles of a white woman are very different from a woman of color and that from a disabled woman of color. There are many personal stories in the report, sharing experiences outlining these differences and likenesses. “Women have multiple and intersecting identities, which profoundly shape their experiences at work. It’s critical that companies and coworkers are aware of these dynamics, so they can noun more effectively advance equality and inclusion for in·ter·sec·tion·al·i·ty | \ , in-t r-, sek-sh -'na-l -tē \ all women.” (Women in the Definition of intersectionality Workplace 2021, pg 3)
intersectionality
Of the 50 page study, we have recapped the high level findings along with image spotlights from the study from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company.
6 Women2Women | Winter 2022
: the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups (Merriam-Webster)
