Why “stalled progress” really matters

Welcome to The Lead, Lean In’s newsletter connecting you with the latest news, insights, and research to help you advance in your career and achieve your ambitions. Have ideas of what you want to see in future editions? Email me at [email protected] —I’d love to hear from you. Let’s dive right in.?

Progress is not always linear. And in the case of women’s representation within the highest levels of corporate leadership, there is good reason to believe that it's stalling.?

After rising for five consecutive years, the number of Fortune 500 companies led by women CEOs stayed flat in 2024 at 10.4% . For the first time in two decades, the number of women in C-suite roles at companies in the S&P Total Market Index dropped . And in 2023, the growth in women's representation among all senior leadership positions in the U.S. decreased to the lowest rate in more than a decade.?

This “stalled gender revolution” is leading some to question whether company commitment to achieving gender parity is moving in the wrong direction as well. But companies are telling us a different story: In 2023, 100% of HR leaders told us that gender diversity was an important priority for their organization. And most companies said that they have increased or maintained their financial and staffing investments in DE&I over the past year.

So what could be happening? After the #MeToo movement and the pandemic forced companies to become more intentional about advancing gender parity within their ranks, this heightened focus could be waning, said Marianne Cooper , a sociologist at Stanford University’s VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab and a co-author of our Women in the Workplace study.?

“Companies may not be putting as much into it as they have been,” she added. “There is so much to be done that if you take your eye off the ball, things will immediately slow.”?

Even with seemingly increased focus, our data show that from 2019 to 2023, the number of women in the C-suite increased from 21% to just 28%. And if 2024’s flat progress continues, we could see even smaller gains over the next five years. As Cooper said, “This is a glacial pace of change and what we really need is a lightning pace of change” to get to true equity.

—Caroline Fairchild

Lean In Editor in Chief?

Golf over childcare. After nearly 15,000 moms convinced CNN to ask about childcare at last week's presidential debate, the candidates spent more time discussing their respective golf games than addressing this key issue for many parents. Some fast facts on why this matters:

• The average cost of childcare for two children is now higher than the average cost of rent in all 50 states.
• 66% of moms considered leaving the workforce last year due to the stress and cost of childcare, according to a study by Motherly .
• Women can also lose as much as $17,000 in annual salary after becoming a mother, according to a recent Bankrate analysis .?

A role model with no kids. A recent op-ed in Newsweek argued that Taylor Swift is not a good role model for girls because she remains unmarried and childless. The author’s argument rests on an often undiscussed form of bias: society tends to judge women without children as selfish and even immature. In fact, one study found that childless women elicit outrage and even disgust that expose them to harmful thoughts and behaviors from others.?Newsweek

RTO? Maybe not. Our data show that women rank flexible work above benefits like parental leave and second only to healthcare. Bloomberg recently spoke to nearly two dozen women who decided to quit work once their company announced a return-to-office mandate. Bloomberg

Get the recognition you deserve at work. Many gender biases contribute to this year’s slowing of women moving into the C-suite. But chief among them may be performance bias, the false belief that men are more intelligent, more talented, and more naturally suited to achieve and lead than women. Women with traditionally marginalized identities can experience this bias even more because they are more likely to have their judgment and abilities questioned.

So, knowing that this bias exists, how can you navigate it?

Here are some tips:

1. Align with your manager—early and often—on what strong performance looks like in your role.
2. When someone questions your competence, push back strategically by asking specific follow-up questions like, “Can you tell me more about why you don’t think I’m ready for a promotion?”
3. Build relationships with more senior colleagues who can advocate for you.

Learn more about how to get the recognition you deserve with this video and discussion guide from the Women at Work Collection.

Circle Leader Training (60 minutes)?

How to get your Circle started, from deciding on your Circle’s purpose and recruiting members to join, right up to hosting your first meeting.

July 9 , July 10 , July 15

50 Ways to Fight Bias Moderator Training (75 minutes)

Learn how to bring this free digital program—which empowers employees to face bias head-on—to your organization.

July 16

This week, we’re “Leading with” Anna Dapelo-Garcia , the senior manager of DE&I at Stanford Health and the founder of Lean In Latinas.?

If you had to describe your life in three sentences, what would you say?

My past helped to fuel my ambitions of today. Being a mother was the greatest role I ever had. My future is now, and I am all in!?

What brings out the best in you?

When I am leaning in to my must. Too often people do “should.” This concept was outlined in the book The Crossroads of Should and Must , where it states that too often people do “should,” such as, I should stay in this job because it pays well although I might not be happy. Whereas “must” comes from deep inside and it is what you must do and gives you purpose. My must is Lean In Latinas, and doing this work brings out the best in me.?

How would your closest friend describe you?

That I am relentless when it comes to closing the gender wage gap and improving the representation of Latinas in the C-suite. Lean In’s The State of Latinas in Corporate America report highlighted these ongoing issues.

What is one piece of advice you would give to other working women??

I let self-doubt get in the way of reaching higher and asking for what I wanted. What I learned from this was that the only person getting in my way was me. Don’t let that little voice in your head tell you that you are not good enough or can’t do something, because you can!?

If there was one more hour in the day, what would you spend it on?

Stillness and reflection. Too often I am multitasking and not slowing down to take in the day or the moment. Being still and reflective helps to bring clarity to my life, and I need to do more of this.

Do you have a career question that you’d like to ask an expert? Or do you need advice on how to handle a challenging situation at work? Send us an email with your question. We’ll keep your identity anonymous and find the right person within the Lean In network to give you an actionable answer.?

Email [email protected] with your questions.