In corporate America, women fall behind early and continue to lose ground with every step, according to McKinsey & Company's Women in the Workplace study.
Women are less likely to receive the first critical promotion to manager—so far fewer end up on the path to leadership—and are less likely to be hired into more senior positions. Women also get less access to the people, input, and opportunities that accelerate careers. As a result, the higher you look in companies, the fewer women you see, the report finds.
This disparity is especially pronounced for women of color, who face the most barriers to advancement and experience the steepest drop-offs with seniority.