2024 Women in the Workplace
Over the past three years, I’ve spent a lot of time researching women’s leadership and specifically how Asian American women can thrive despite the cultural patterns possibly holding them back. My giant passion project was meant to be published as a book called Hardworking Rebels: How to Lead and Succeed as Asian American Women. Through 2022 there was a ton of interest from major publishers, and I signed a contract with a top non-fiction New York agent. I also gave a TEDx talk that had some mild success in early 2023.
However, over the last two years, the focus on Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has waned. Last May, I gave 15+ talks on Your Otherness is Your Superpower, and by the end of the summer most of my contacts were laid off as their companies cut DEI resources.
?Publishers that had been eagerly awaiting my book proposals now all declined to take a risk on a “Asian female book.” I don’t blame them. The book’s thesis no longer matched the economics of the market and it was too risky of a financial decision. The state of the DEI system as well as my personal focus this year on ?my mother and my daughter’s health had me put the book project on hold (for now).
It’s a bleak time for women and people of color in the workplace. McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org just released their 10-year anniversary report on Women in the Workplace .
There has been some progress.
?? In 2015, women held 17% of C-suite roles
?? In 2024, women hold 29% of C-suite roles
But not enough?
There has been a huge increase in awareness and company-provided bias training, but unfortunately it doesn’t translate into the outcomes of employees taking greater allyship actions.?
I coach and mentor in many communities of women and their qualitative stories reflect the data shown in the report. Women still continue to have their expertise questioned. They continue to be interrupted or spoken over.?
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The problem is not solved, even if everyone in a corporate workplace has greater awareness of the issue.
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Staying positive within this doom & gloom
?One positive of this 2024 Women in the Workplace report is that it accurately reports on the lived experience of many women. The data is an antidote to the suggestions that women have already achieved enough and that perhaps men’s rights need to be defended. When you look at both the facts as well as personal experiences, there is so much more to do.
?And even with work to do, we can celebrate the progress and small wins.
?One small action is to share the data from this report widely. To talk about the experiences of the 480,000 people surveyed as well as to reflect on your personal experience, either as a woman, an ally, or both.?
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Separating the Personal from the System
Some of us may have the energy to advocate for feminism and push against the massive system. Others are simply tired and are focused on doing good work and surviving another week. We all want to do more.
It’s enough simply to know that the systemic unconscious bias still exists and it is everyone’s work to share and bring more awareness to both lived experience and the data. To participate in the conversation. To be an ally and interrupt microaggressions you witness. This brings hope to historically marginalized people and helps them feel seen.
For examples and techniques of how to do this, check out my Harvard Business Review article on 5 Strategies for BIPOC to Negotiate Equitable Pay .
One of the strategies provides scripts on how to overcome implicit bias with directness.?
Keep on Learning
In the meantime, the best we all can do is to keep on learning and studying the facts of what happens in the workplace. One of my most popular LinkedIn posts this month shares consolidated advice on what to do if you’re looking for a job right now . Give yourself the permission to keep exploring and experimenting, even if the world and job prospects is a scary place right now.
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?? Hey! I’m Tutti.
I write about leadership, women in tech, design, and adventure, often for Harvard Business Review and Fast Company.
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Helping Organizations and Leaders Perform at their Best | Org Effectiveness and Design | Executive Coaching | Enabling Hybrid Work | M&A | Strategy-Driven Transformation
3 周We've made great progress, and yet there's still so far to go. Even as women achieve, there is always a degradation of status in occupations where women lead. We continue to have double standards on women's behavior (being direct like a man is unlikeable for a woman). I hope the pace of positive change starts to accelerate. Thank you for advocating and continuing to shine a light.
Leadership Development & Executive Coaching | Accelerating women into leadership to make the impact they desire WITHOUT burning out. | ICF Certified Executive Coach | Work-Life Flow Podcast Host
3 周My take on all this is that there is not nearly enough progress been made. Unfortunately, women will not advance or change the system unless they start believing in themselves and start using all their resources to support their success. It’s tragic that publishers back out like that. The world needs your book more than ever. What speaks against self-publishing?