Women still aren't being promoted, even as entry-level hiring approaches parity

Colleagues are seen at a meeting in an office boardroom in this undated file photo. (Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels)

TORONTO -

A new study shows women are still under-represented throughout the corporate talent pipeline and there remains a "broken rung" that makes being promoted difficult.

The study released by data consulting firm McKinsey and Co. on Tuesday shows that although women are one per cent away from achieving gender parity in entry-level positions, progress remains stagnant at more senior levels.

Women held 49 per cent of entry-level positions last year, up from 45 per cent in 2017.

At the manager and senior manager levels, that falls to 37 and 35 per cent, respectively.

Companies appear to be hiring a similar number of men and women for junior positions, but women's representation drops by 12 percentage points when management positions are involved -- the largest decline from one level to the next throughout the pipeline.

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Between the manager level and the C-suite, the representation of women falls by another seven percentage points, with women holding 30 per cent of C-suite roles.

Report author Sandrine Devillard compares the lack of progression women face to a funnel where women and men are equally hired, but where women face added difficulties as they try to advance to senior levels.

The troubles women face in climbing the corporate ladder are usually attributed to a cluster of issues including a lack of mentorship, the motherhood penalty -- pay, job and career repercussions women face when having children -- and corporate cultures they compare to a boys' club, where promotions are handed out to people with similar backgrounds and interests as those making hiring decisions.

Rising through corporate ranks is even more difficult for women of colour, who are less likely than men and white women to be promoted from entry to manager level.

McKinsey found women of colour represent 17 per cent of entry-level employees and drop to six per cent in the C-suite.

The study is based on data McKinsey collected between May and August of 2021 from 423 American and Canadian employers and a survey of more than 65-thousand people from 88 companies.

The company further examined Canadian data that isolated five-thousand, 317 survey responses from Canadian workers and other data from 51 companies in the country collectively employing more than one million people across 10 industries.