US women leaders leave work at unprecedented level

Women leaders, especially women of color, are leaving their companies at an unprecedented level and are “dramatically underrepresented” in the United States, an eight-year survey conducted by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company showed.

“To put the scale of the problem in perspective: for every woman at the director level who gets promoted to the next level, two women directors are choosing to leave their company,” the study said.

The study surveyed 810 companies and more than 400,000 people from 2015 to 2022. It revealed that one of top three reasons that pushed women to leave or switch their positions is “microaggression” they face at work. That is why 90% of women prefer working remotely than staying on-site to avoid microaggression.

The second reason is that they are under-recognized by their companies despite their overwork. According to the study, “40% of women leaders say their DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] work isn’t acknowledged at all in performance reviews,” even though women can spend double the amount of time than men in such work.

The third reason is that they prefer a better and more flexible culture and atmosphere when they think about changing or quitting their positions, with 49% of women leaders considering flexibility when choosing whether to work for a company.

The study showed that very few women are promoted to senior leadership posts, noting that for every 100 men promoted to manager positions, only 87 women are given such positions, so men significantly outnumber women in management.

As for women representation in the technical and engineering fields, they are “underrepresented and face higher rates of bias.”

As for black women leaders, one in three said they found hardships for their advancement due to their race and gender, the study revealed.