The Women in the Workplace 2025 report by McKinsey and LeanIn.Org, based on a survey of about 9,500 professionals, found something it had not seen in eleven years of tracking: an ambition gap. 80% of women want to be promoted, compared with 86% of men. At entry level the gap is wider, 69% against 80%.
Not a lack of drive
The report’s most important finding is what makes the gap disappear. When women receive the same sponsorship and career support as men, the difference in ambition goes away. The issue is opportunity and backing, not motivation. Yet only 54% of HR professionals say women’s career growth is a priority in their organisation, down sharply from 2017, when 88% of companies called gender equity a high priority.
At the top
Among new chief executives, progress has been uneven. Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that the share of women among incoming CEOs fell to 25% in August 2025, the lowest since 2020, before recovering in 2026 towards the record of 28.7% set in 2023.
What leaders can do
- Sponsor, not just mentor: use your influence to put talented women forward for stretch roles.
- Track promotion rates by gender at every level, starting with the first step into management.
- Make women’s leadership visible inside and outside the organisation.
Sources
- Allwork.Space: Women in the Workplace 2025 reveals widening ambition gap
- Challenger, Gray & Christmas: CEO Turnover reports
Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash