In 2015, LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company launched a study focusing on women in the workplace to give companies insights and tools to advance gender diversity. It is the largest study on the state of women in corporate America. 

The 2021 findings focus on the impact of the pandemic and the growing emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on the experiences of women and the state of work more broadly. We encourage you to check out the great graphics, but we’ve also pulled some compelling data points below. 

• In spite of the challenges of the pandemic, women’s representation had improved across most of the corporate pipeline at the end of 2020, yet burnout is still on the rise. 

• Women with disabilities are about 2x as likely as women overall to say that in the past year, setting boundaries around their availability or taking time off for mental health reasons has hurt their career. 

• Representation of women of color falls off relative to white employees and men of color at every level of the corporate pipeline—leaving women of color severely underrepresented at the top.

• Compared to men at their level, women leaders are up to twice as likely to spend substantial time on DEI work that falls outside their formal job responsibilities.

• Almost a third of Latinas are on “double duty” — caring for children and an adult, such as an elderly family member — which adds significantly to their workload. 

Studies make it clear that increasing the number of women in the workforce and in leadership roles has a profound economic impact. Reports like these provide valuable snapshots on not only the state of women in the workplace but also a roadmap for companies and policymakers who are looking to expand opportunities and grow the bottom line.  

PS — you will not receive Breaking Good next week, so we’ll see you again on Oct 15th!