Women and Work in the US: Data You Need to Know
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In the run-up to International Women’s Day 2023 tomorrow (March 8), Team JTC has surveyed the current situation for women in the workplace in the US, with a particular focus on recruitment. We should certainly start by affirming the considerable progress that has been made toward gender equality over the past few decades, with North America acknowledged as the world’s most advanced region when it comes to closing the gender gap.
Even with this, we should not lose sight of the fact that we still have some way to go to fully close that gap.
In fact, this year’s International Women’s Day theme of #EmbraceEquity emphasizes the need for a more proactive approach to recognize intersectional differences and give ALL women what they need to be successful in their careers. With this in mind, I will share the standout points from our research that we expect to help you most as you continue in your efforts to increase diversity. As I often say, these findings are all important, so do not think of them as being in any particular order.
Data Point #1: According to official statistics from the Department of Labor, women still make up less than half of the US workforce (47%), and the labor force participation rate is still notably lower for women than for men (56.2% vs 67.7% in 2020). This is not projected to change significantly by the end of the decade.
These statistics suggest that women continue to face more barriers to entering the workplace, or to securing the opportunities they want, in comparison to men. No doubt this is being addressed by some current recruitment trends, such as flexible working and increased pay transparency, which can be of particular benefit to women. But I would encourage you to look at your own organization’s applicant data and ask whether women are properly represented, including those with intersectional underrepresentation (i.e., women of color). If you are not seeing the level of representation you expect, how might you be able to attract more applications from these women, and improve gender diversity in general in your candidate pool?
Data Point #2: Women in the US still face barriers to promotion, with progressively lower representation at higher company levels and only 26% of C-suite positions currently occupied by women. Furthermore, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022 found a 2.4% widening of the gender gap for senior roles in the US, compared with the previous year.
Women certainly face barriers to advancement in the workplace, but to better understand these statistics, we need to move beyond the traditional concept of a “glass ceiling.” More recent research has identified that the biggest barrier to advancement for women is, in fact, the first step into management, which then creates underrepresentation at higher levels through a ripple effect. However, there are defined strategies you can actively use to combat this “broken rung,” especially when hiring for management roles. But the problem is also compounded by the fact that women directors are leaving companies at a higher rate than their male counterparts.
Data Point #3: Even though women are underrepresented in senior roles, McKinsey’s recent Women in the Workplace 2022 report found that “women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rates we’ve ever seen,” and are doing so more than men.
As I have often said before, when you think about recruitment, also think about retention. If people are leaving your organization as fast as they are joining, it does you no good in the long run. The McKinsey study uncovered various reasons why so many women in senior roles are changing jobs, but perhaps the most concerning one centers on DEI. Although women leaders contribute more to DEI initiatives than men in equivalent roles, many of them find it isn’t being acknowledged in performance reviews, and this lack of recognition is often a factor in their decision to leave—particularly for those under 30. In other words, the research shows that women are increasingly looking for employers with a work culture that values DEI and employee well-being. This is an important reminder to prioritize these areas as part of your diversity strategy, from the point of view of both recruitment and retention.
Data Point #4: Unnoticed forms of gender bias can persist in the recruiting process, even after employers have worked to ensure it is fair. This perhaps reflects the fact that 91% of men—and, surprisingly, 86% of women—show some form of bias against gender equality.
It is important to identify and eliminate unrecognized sources of bias in the recruitment process. For example, AI hiring tools can actually introduce bias against women if they are trained on historical data that reflects that type of bias. Also, many job listings still use stereotypically masculine terms such as “assertive” or “competitive,” while women look for more feminine-coded words like “committed” or “responsible.” So, even if you have already acted to write more inclusive job descriptions, you may need to rethink this further if you continue to find significant gender disparity in the applications you are receiving.
Data Point #5: Despite recent progress, women remain strongly underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, making up just 27% of the workforce for such jobs. This is driven mainly by low representation in computing (26%) and engineering (15%) roles.
Although there has been considerable progress in representation of women in STEM in general since the 1970s, Londa Schiebinger, a Professor of the History of Science at Stanford University, recently explained that it is still a male-dominated culture “with its unconscious biases and rewards for cutthroat pursuit of money and prestige.” Encouragingly, many companies already recognize this, and numerous initiatives to attract women to these careers have been launched, starting in schools. If your organization is working in a STEM field, you could consider increasing your engagement with such programs as a long-term strategy, as well as directly aiming to increase gender diversity in your sourcing efforts.
I hope you found something here to interest and inspire you, and perhaps to prompt new ideas for your organization’s diversity recruitment strategy. I chose this topic to reflect the fact that this is my first newsletter in women’s history month, but of course, these issues should always remain in focus—especially as women in the workplace face many different challenges around the world. I also hope the information I have shared will serve as a reminder of how retention and work culture should never be overlooked as key aspects of your recruitment strategy.
