Corporate America’s decade-long march toward gender equity is stalling—and in some areas, reversing.
The latest Women in the Workplace report reveals a sobering trend: for the first time in the study’s history, only half of U.S. companies say women’s career advancement is a high priority. This represents a multiyear decline in corporate commitment to gender diversity, a seismic shift from when women’s advancement was broadly viewed as a strategic imperative.
Even more concerning: women are now less likely than men to want a promotion—the first time an “ambition gap” has appeared in the study’s 11-year history.
But here’s what the data actually shows: when women receive the same levels of sponsorship, advocacy, and career support as men, the ambition gap disappears. This isn’t about motivation. It’s about infrastructure.
What’s Holding Women Back
The barriers are structural, not individual. Women across corporate America face less sponsorship and manager advocacy (especially early in their careers), fewer stretch assignments and visibility opportunities, and rollbacks in remote work and flexibility that disproportionately impact their ability to advance. Sponsorship is one of the strongest predictors of promotion—and without it, momentum stalls.
The “broken rung”—the stubborn gap at the first promotion to manager—remains a central barrier, particularly for women of color. While overall representation of women in leadership has improved over the past decade, these gains aren’t distributed equitably. Black women and other women of color encounter steeper obstacles at every stage, translating into fewer opportunities, greater burnout, and higher job insecurity.
Why This Moment Matters
These trends come as companies are actively reducing investment in the programs that work: formal sponsorship initiatives, women-focused development pathways, and flexible work arrangements. These aren’t abstract policy shifts—they’re career setbacks with real consequences.
What Leaders Must Do
The report offers evidence-based actions that work:
First, strengthen sponsorship and advocacy. Employees with sponsors are twice as likely to be promoted, yet women continue to have fewer sponsors than men. Companies need structural sponsorship programs that match women with influential leaders—and track outcomes, not just participation.
Second, invest in meaningful, ongoing bias mitigation. One-time trainings don’t work. Effective inclusion work is continuous, practical, and tied directly to key talent decisions like promotions, performance reviews, and assignments.
Third, track outcomes with real data: who gets stretch assignments, who has access to leadership training, who receives sponsorship, who gets promoted. Without this data, inequity remains invisible.
The CHRO Agenda
From an operational standpoint, this means building fairer hiring and promotion practices (anonymized resumes, structured interviews, consistent evaluation criteria), establishing transparent pay practices (tightened salary bands, reduced manager discretion, proactive pay equity audits), and scaling inclusive programs like Lean In Circles that enhance networks and learning for women at every level.
These aren’t perks. They’re structural levers that drive inclusion, retention, and performance. When women rise, organizations thrive—diverse leadership consistently correlates with stronger business outcomes.
A Note to Women—Especially Women of Color
If you’re reading this and feeling the weight of these statistics: yes, it’s hard. Yes, the barriers are real. Yes, the pace of change feels too slow.
But this data also reveals something powerful. When women receive the same support as men, they thrive and aspire at equal rates. The solution isn’t individual ambition—it’s collective investment.
We are resilient. We are visionary. Our presence at the table matters.
As we close out 2025, let’s give ourselves permission to rest. Then let’s lean in together to build workplaces that work for all of us in 2026.
📥 Read the full report: womenintheworkplace.com
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