There is a significant lack of women, particularly women of color, in management positions. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women achieve the same, and this disparity is even greater for Black women, with only 54 promoted for every 100 men, according to the Women in the Workplace report by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company.

Women face the “broken rung” phenomenon, where men at entry-level are promoted to managerial roles at much higher rates than women.

This early career setback puts women at a lasting disadvantage. Rachel Thomas, co-founder and CEO of LeanIn.org, emphasizes that this “broken rung” restricts women’s career progress. Despite some progress at higher levels, these advancements often come with caveats.

The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation (SGB) is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting equality and resilience through 4 initiatives: LeanIn.org, Lean In Girls, OptionB.org, and the Dave Goldberg Scholarship Program. Launched in 2013, LeanIn.org supports Lean In Circles, small groups of women who meet regularly to empower each other personally and professionally. These Circles help women build confidence, develop leadership skills, and achieve their goals. Over 100,000 women in 183 countries have started Circles, with 85% of members reporting positive changes within 6 months of joining.

To enhance the leadership skills of regional Lean In Network Leaders, SGB partnered with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). “We chose CCL for their exceptional reputation and expertise in leadership development,” said Nikki Pawsey, Director of the Global Network Leader Program. “Their global reach and commitment to co-creating a tailored leadership course for women aligned perfectly with our vision of empowering more women leaders in the workplace.”

Solution

CCL and SGB collaborated to create the Network Leadership Development Program (NLDP). This program is designed for mid-career women leaders, focusing on immediate and practical application to build confidence and navigate strategic leadership challenges. According to Pawsey, “Our primary goal was to offer our global network of volunteers the opportunity to develop their leadership skills in a way that would empower them both personally and professionally. We wanted to raise their level of self-awareness and provide tools for them to strengthen their ability to lead, inspire, and make a difference in their communities worldwide.”

The NLDP is a 3-month, multi-modal learning experience that includes:

• Asynchronous preparatory learning in a custom online course
• Offline peer discussions managed by participants
• Live online sessions every other week to engage on topics
• Pre-work including the WorkPlace Big Five Profile, a senior leader interview, and defining a Key Leadership Challenge

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The program elements designed to boost engagement and learning include:

• Amplifying the collective power of broad, diverse networks
• Strengthening and leveraging authenticity and credibility to gain trust
• Developing leadership skills and preparing for career acceleration
• Leveraging peer support to work through critical leadership challenges
• Driving conversations and practices promoting belonging
• Building a network of ambassadors to retain and advance women in organizations

CCL has completed 10 successful cohorts globally with more than 250 participants from diverse backgrounds and locations finding common ground in their volunteer leadership role with Lean In.

Results

Following the NLDP, participants have committed to applying their new insights and skills. They plan to:

• Share knowledge with their teams
• Foster resilient work cultures
• Engage in networking and mentoring
• Support other women in their professional journeys

By the Numbers

The program has inspired participants to enhance their leadership skills, promote inclusivity, and focus on personal and professional growth. They are also eager to expand their professional networks and become more active in the Lean In community.

Participants have reported:

• Increased assertiveness
• Improved decision-making
• Enhanced leadership presence
• Greater focus on creating inclusive and diverse environments
• Efforts toward equality

Many participants plan to use their new skills to advance their careers, start businesses, or take on new roles. Pawsey emphasized, “The impact of this partnership has been profound. Through CCL’s programs, our volunteers have not only grown as leaders but also built stronger connections within the network, fostering a sense of shared purpose and collaboration. We’ve seen enhanced confidence, creativity, and problem-solving skills amongst our community. Many of our leaders would not have the opportunity in their country to access such high-quality training.”

Participants Say

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As women attempt to advance from mid-career leaders into senior and executive positions, plenty of roadblocks stand in their path — but one of those barriers may come as a surprise: other women.

This “queen bee syndrome,” a term first coined in 1973, is often referenced during our women’s leadership development programs, where mid-level women mention feeling a lack of support from more senior women.

Rather than blaming senior-level women, our researchers wondered if there was another possible factor at play: Could it be that senior-level women are somehow penalized for supporting other women leaders?

Why Women Don’t Support Other Women: Gender Bias Matters

Building on our earlier research about the gendered use of the term “bossy,” and to better understand the reasons why women don’t support other women, we wanted to see how peers viewed both male and female leaders when they openly valued greater gender diversity in the workplace.

We looked at the results of 360-degree assessment data collected from leaders who attended our leadership development programs, and here’s what we found:

• Female leaders who show that they value diversity in the workplace receive much lower competency ratings than male leaders who show that they value diversity in the workplace.
• Men’s performance ratings actually increase when they show that they value diversity in the workplace, while women’s performance ratings decrease when they show that they value diversity in the workplace.

Next, our team examined what happens when women actually promote other women.

Researchers asked 2 groups of working adults to evaluate the competency of a hiring manager who interviewed candidates for a vacant senior vice president position.

One group was told that the hiring manager chose a white male candidate because he “had the highest scores.” The other group was told that the hiring manager chose a woman because she “had the highest scores and increases the racial and gender balance of our leadership team.”

As noted in our white paper, the second part of the study found that:

• When the hiring manager was a male, his competency ratings weren’t affected by his decision — the group of working adults gave him the same rating whether or not he was motivated by increasing his leadership team’s racial and gender balance, but
• When the hiring manager advocating for diversity was a female, her competency rating dropped dramatically. There seemed to be a perception that when a woman advocated for another woman, she was somehow showing favoritism.

Our conclusion: This could be the real reason that women don’t promote other women.

And there may be another factor at play as well. In a work environment where men are in the majority, particularly at the top, women must work harder to break in. It’s also possible that once they do, they may feel threatened by other women who could replace them.

Women Need to Support Women — and Men Need to Join the Conversation

Of course, to grow the ranks of women leaders, more women need to support women.

But women aren’t solely responsible. In fact, as our study showed, men stand to gain by advocating for diversity. Strengthening women’s leadership is not about excluding men, and women cannot succeed without men’s support.

But overcoming barriers to women’s leadership will take a multi-pronged effort by the entire community — including governments, the media, businesses, and organizations — plus men and women themselves, to make gender parity in the workplace a reality.

The truth is, everyone has a role to play to foster a more equitable workplace.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Create a workplace environment where your team doesn’t need to worry about why women don’t support other women, and leaders of all genders support one another. Partner with us for customized women’s leadership development that meets your organization’s unique needs.

The post Women Pay a Price for Promoting Other Women appeared first on CCL.