Progression gaps for working-class women

You don’t get promotions, bonuses, or recognition for this job. But without it, nothing works. That’s me with my girls, many years ago on a trip back to India. They’re young adults now and about to enter the workforce. For nearly a decade, I raised them as a single dad—while leading in senior leadership and C-suite roles. Grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, school matters, medical appointments, extra-curricular activities, friends, pick-up/drop-off runs… the list was endless. It wasn’t easy. I was juggling all day—work, kids, home—trying not to drop anything. And I was very fortunate to have had incredibly supportive leaders and team members who understood the challenge. But let me be clear—I’m not sharing this for your sympathy or support. I’m sharing this because the experience of raising my girls gave me a unique and often overlooked perspective on the hidden cost women pay when balancing professional careers and caregiving. For a moment, replace me with any other woman in your family—your partner, daughter, maybe even your mom—and you start seeing the bigger picture. This isn’t about saying men don’t contribute—many do. But the numbers tell a different story. 👇 🔹 Workforce gap – Women’s participation: 62.5% (men: 71.3%). 🔹 55% pay cut – Women’s earnings drop post-childbirth. Men’s? Unaffected. 🔹 Childcare penalty – High costs make full-time work unaffordable for many women. 🔹 Retirement gap – Women retire with 23% less Super, increasing financial insecurity. 🔹 Unpaid labour = another job – Women do 30+ hours/week of unpaid care (men: 22 hours). (Source: Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, 2023 Report to the Australian Government). These issues are major contributors to the Gender Pay Gap. As a C-Suite leader, you have the power to break these barriers—starting now. Here are two steps you can take immediately: ✔️ Provide flexibility – Support caregiving without compromising career growth. ✔️ Encourage equal parental leave – Normalise men taking an equal caregiving role. 📩 If this resonates, let’s talk. I’d love to hear your thoughts—message me for a copy of my guide. "Closing the Gender Pay Gap & Accelerating Women into Leadership Positions." #Leadership #DiversityAndInclusion #GenderEquity #FutureOfWork --- For senior leaders navigating complex challenges, the journey to impactful leadership can feel daunting at times—but it doesn’t have to be walked alone. Anoop, with 30+ years of experience across three continents, a former Board member and CPO of a Fortune 10 company in Australia, and winner of the 2022 HR Leader of the Year award, advises senior leaders on making profound changes.

I'm troubled by this recent Ms. Magazine report on widening pay gaps for women, especially women of color. This regression and recent policy shifts create a perfect storm that threatens to undo decades of progress. Key findings that demand our attention: - Women now earn just 75 cents for every dollar men make - The wage gap isn't projected to close until 2068 – 43 years later than previous estimates - Intersectional disparities have deepened, with Latinas earning 51¢ and Black women 64¢ per white male dollar This backslide isn't about individual choices. It's rooted in systemic issues now at risk of worsening: 1. Occupational Segregation: - Women hold 77% of education/healthcare roles but earn 24% less than men in these fields 2. Caregiving Penalties: - Only 21% of U.S. workers have access to paid family leave - Childcare costs consume 28% of median household income 3. Negotiation Disparities: - Women asking for raises face 30% higher likelihood of being labeled "difficult." - Transparent salary ranges reduce gender gaps by 45%, yet 67% of companies use opaque systems Recent policy shifts pose additional challenges: The systemic dismantling of DEI infrastructure creates structural barriers to equitable hiring/promotions by: - Eliminating accountability measures: Federal contractors are no longer required to track/address pay disparities - Rescinding anti-bias tools: Removal of salary history bans, which reduced gender gaps by 45% - Defunding compliance staff: Federal DEI offices ordered to shut down, decimating enforcement capacity At WOC Retail Alliance®, we're intensifying our efforts despite these headwinds. We need more partners and urgent action: - State/local policies to preserve pay transparency and anti-bias training and enforcement - Corporate commitments to equitable and inclusive practices to build diverse teams and leadership pipelines despite federal hostility - Advocacy for childcare subsidies and paid leave laws - Continued push for the Equal Rights Amendment ratification It's time for bold, collective action. Our economy, our communities, and our future depend on it. #equalpay #access #closegaps #womenmatter #inclusionandequitymatter How is your organization navigating these challenges? Let's share strategies and drive change together in this critical moment. https://lnkd.in/gVRcXi6x

In McKinsey’s latest Women in the Workplace report—covering India, Nigeria, and Kenya—we see a stark truth: In Nigeria’s formal private sector, women make up only 33% of entry-level roles, and this figure barely improves as they ascend. Despite making up half of the national workforce, the formal sector remains largely inaccessible to women—especially in senior leadership where only 29% of C-suite roles are held by women. Yet, sectors like law and healthcare prove that gender parity is achievable. Legal firms in Nigeria report near-parity across leadership, thanks to strong mentorship cultures. In contrast, financial services show a 19-point drop from entry-level to C-suite—a broken pipeline that needs urgent fixing. As someone working at the nexus of health equity, financial inclusion, and systems transformation, I believe this report highlights a clear call to action: Three Immediate Priorities for Private Sector Leaders: 1. Diagnose the Real Gaps Track gender-disaggregated metrics across hiring, promotion, attrition, and lateral hiring. Without data, there’s no accountability. 2. Design Beyond Policy – Focus on Uptake Merely having DEI policies isn’t enough. The companies with better representation adopt differentiator policies like mentorship, flexible work, and family care—and ensure they are used. 3. Monitor with Purpose Only 15% of boards hold themselves accountable for gender outcomes. Let’s make gender diversity a core strategic KPI reviewed quarterly at the board level. As we push forward with financial and digital inclusion for millions of women in Nigeria’s informal sector, we cannot ignore the parallel need to build inclusive and equitable formal workplaces. Our economic sustainability depends on it. What actions is your organization taking to improve women’s representation across all levels? #GenderEquality #InclusionMatters #Leadership #Nigeria #WomenInWork #McKinseyReport #FinancialInclusion #Sustainability #InclusiveGrowth McKinsey & Company Lean In

Social progress has leaps and troughs and in the case of gender equity - we're on a rollercoaster. This HBR article touches on the assumption that we’re on a one-way path to gender equality. But for younger women entering today’s workforce, the reality can feel very different. They’re finding familiar roadblocks and biases that many of us hoped were in the past. These women are bringing fresh perspectives and drive, yet they’re still navigating workplaces where progression isn’t guaranteed, and biases linger. The stats are confronting: - Young women get stuck at entry level - they are underrepresented from the start of their careers, making up just 48% of entry-level employees despite holding 59% of bachelor’s degrees. The broken rung in action. - Sexual harassment continues despite much light on it following #MeToo - one third of young women have experienced some form of sexual harassment - Household duties still fall on (young) women - we are not seeing generational change despite much discussion of the double burden. Still, more than a third of women with partners take on most or all of the household responsibilities - Youngism is a thing. Younger women are more than twice as likely as young men to report unwanted attention to their age at work. And to add insult to injury, it would appear that there's a decline of engagement with Gen Z men in the issues of gender (and racial) diversity. Disheartening. And yet, with awareness we can take action. There are some good recommendations in the article: 1. Monitor gender representations at all levels 2. Address the broken rung 3. Broaden the ageism conversation to include youngism. What do you think? Are you observing youngism? I'd love to hear what organisations are doing to tackle this important aspect of gender equity. #GenderEquity #DEI #ThreeBarriers https://lnkd.in/e5Pkj977

Whenever I meet with women and especially women of color in organizations, one thing stands out for me- they are ambitious about their careers. However, they feel stalled because of managers and works cultures that are not inclusive. McKinsey & Company’s recent article on the truth about women’s ambition and representation in corporate America reinforced my observations – so I decided to include their research in my monthly insights. The research reveals that the notion that work and life are incompatible, and that one comes at the expense of the other, is outdated. Women are more ambitious than ever and workplace flexibility is fuelling them. Despite this, women, and especially women of color, remain underrepresented in the corporate pipeline.  Slow progress for women to the manager and director levels, together with director level women leaving at a higher rate than men at the same level, result in fewer women in line for the most senior level positions. Clearly their careers are not stalled because of a lack of ambition but instead because of work cultures that are not conducive to their advancement. Article highlights: -         For the ninth consecutive year, women face their biggest hurdle at the first critical step up to manager. This year, for every 100 men promoted from entry level to manager, 87 women were promoted. And for women of color progress is lagging even further behind their peers. In 2023, 73 women of color were promoted compared to 91 White women (for every 100 men promoted). -         Women experience microaggressions at a significantly higher than men. 78% of women who experience microaggressions self-shield or change their appearance to conform in an attempt to be accepted and enable their success. Black women are twice as likely as White women to have to change something about themselves in order to conform. -         For women, hybrid or remote work is about a lot more than flexibility. When women work remotely, they face fewer microaggressions and have higher levels of psychological safety. To strengthen the pipeline and progress of women, the article from McKinsey suggests that companies should focus on 5 key areas: -         Tracking outcomes for women’s representation -         Empowering managers to be effective people leaders -         Addressing microaggressions head-on -         Unlocking the full potential of flexible work -         Fixing the broken rung, once and for all To learn more about these focus areas and how you can advance women at your organization, click on the link below to read the full article: https://lnkd.in/dWSb5jxf #WomenInLeadership #DEI #InclusiveWorkplace #WomenEmpowerment #DiversityEquityInclusion