1. Copyright © 2020 McKinsey & Company. All Rights Reserved.
2020
Women
in the
Workplace

2. McKinsey & Company 22McKinsey & Company
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3. McKinsey & Company 3
Women in the Workplace is a multi-year joint research effort
by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org. It is the largest
comprehensive study of the state of women in corporate America
This year…
Participating companies
317
Employees in participating
companies
12 million+
Employees surveyed on their
workplace experiences
+40,000
In-depth 1-on-1 interviews
+45
Our sixth year

4. McKinsey & Company 4
C-suiteSVPVPSr. ManagerManagerEntry level
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
1. Sum of % White women and % women of color may not sum to overall % women because overall figure includes employees with race not reported
Men of color
White women
Women of color
White men
% of women1
2128293338472020
1723273237452015
22%18%4%5%3%5%
’15 to ’20 change, %
Before COVID-19 we saw slow improvements
% of employees by level
Pre-COVID-19
12
19
66
3
13
23
59
5
6
13
24
57
15
25
51
912
18
26
44
18
18
29
35

5. McKinsey & Company 5Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
Optimism that remote work can
improve flexibility and diversity…
… but big challenges that put at risk the
progress earned
COVID-19 placed us at a cross roads
In 2019 flexibility was the top
challenge raised by employees#1
Progress
over last
6 years
could be erased in one year
Potential number of women
who could exit the workforce2M+69%
Employees say remote work
can provide the flexibility they
need to have work/life balance
70%
Companies agree that remote
work will help hire and retain
more diverse employees
Women who are considering
leaving the workforce or
downshifting their careers
1 in 4

6. McKinsey & Company 6
COVID-19 surfaced new challenges
Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the biggest challenges for employees have been:
% Employees rating in top 3 challenges
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
Anxiety over layoffs
or furloughs
Burnout Mental health Childcare and/or
home-schooling
Physical/
mental health
of loved ones
31% 28% 23% 21% 20%

7. McKinsey & Company 7
1 in 4 women are
considering leaving
the workforce or
downshifting their
careers
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
Key workplace concerns
Their company not providing the flexibility they need
Feeling like they need to be “always on”
Spending additional hours on housework
Concern their performance will be judged negatively due to caregiving
responsibilities they bear
Feeling blindsided by decisions that impact their work
Discomfort sharing their challenges with co-workers
Feeling they can’t bring their whole selves to work

8. McKinsey & Company 8
Three groups face distinct challenges
Men Women
1. Women in senior leadership roles (VP, SVP, and C-suite)
2. Picked at least one response to "While interacting with co-workers during the last few months, there have been times when I felt uncomfortable sharing:“.
Options included “My work/life challenges”, “My status as a parent”, and “My thoughts about racial inequity”
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
% Employees
agreeing they feel … Men Women
Mothers
of young
children
Senior
women1
All
employees
Black
women
Excluded 10 11 10 1111 17
Exhausted 31 37 42 5434 40
Burned out 28 32 3430 33
Uncomfortable sharing2 36 45 50 5040 58
39

9. McKinsey & Company 9
The “double double shift” for
mothers is untenable
How has the COVID-19 crisis changed the
amount of time per day that you spend on
household responsibilities?1
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
Spend 15+ additional hours per work
week on household responsibilities vs.
prior to COVID-19 crisis1
40%
More likely than fathers to worry that their
performance is being judged negatively
because of their caregiving responsibilities
2x
Have considered leaving the workforce or
downshifting their careers since the start of
the COVID-19 crisis
1 in 3
1. Responses shown here include only heterosexual employees in dual-career couples to approximate
symmetrical comparison
7%
15%
20%
25%
41%
35%
32%
25%
Fathers Mothers
Same amount or less
Additional 1 to 2 hours
Additional 5+ hours
Additional 3 to 4 hours

10. McKinsey & Company 10
1. Often or almost always finds themselves to be the only, or one of the only, people in the room of their gender
2. Lives with a partner/spouse that works full-time or is self-employed
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
Burned out39%
Exhausted54%
Since COVID-19,
senior women have
felt…
41%
55%
Senior menSenior women All women
6%
36%
19%
Mothers
Onlys of their
gender1
Pressured to
work more36%
In dual-career
couples2
39%
58%
54%
Senior women experience many pressures

11. McKinsey & Company 11
Senior women take on more allyship
% of employees who agree
Senior menAll employees Senior women
I actively listen to the personal stories of women
of color about bias and mistreatment
41 42 63
I take a public stand to support gender equality 28 42 61
I take a public stand to support racial equality 29 40 53
I mentor or sponsor one or more women of color 10 23 38
I publicly acknowledge or give credit to women
of color for their ideas and work
39 44 60

12. McKinsey & Company 12
High risk of losing
senior women
Feeling “always on” is more common among
senior women
% employees
Senior women are more likely to consider
leaving than their male peers
1 in 4
senior women
have considered
leaving the
workforce or
downshifting
their careers
since the start of
the COVID-19
crisis
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
Men Women
40%
47%
32%
31%
All men
All women
Senior men
Senior women

13. McKinsey & Company 13
An unequal workplace for
Black women
Black women were more likely than women
overall to experience microaggressions and
feel less supported…
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
Black women are more likely to be the “only”
of their gender and race (i.e., only Black
woman) in the room
52% of Black
women
20% of women
overall
More likely to say they do not have equal
opportunity for advancement
1.5x
More likely to not feel comfortable bringing their
whole self to work
1.9x
More likely to say they do not have strong allies on
their team
1.7x

14. McKinsey & Company 14
Black women face distinct COVID-19 challenges
Distinct challenges
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
1.5x
more likely than women
overall to feel uncomfortable
sharing their experience of
grief or loss
2.5x
more likely than women
overall to report the death of
a loved one was a big
challenge
More likely to leave
% of employees who considered taking a leave of absence or
leaving the workforce altogether
Black women make up less than
10% of the corporate workforce.
If companies don’t take action,
we could lose Black women
disproportionately
13
10
18
13
Women Men
BlackOverall

15. McKinsey & Company 15
Opportunity to
step up allyship
to support
Black women
1. Includes women who identified as Asian, Latina, White, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Native American, Other, or identified with more than one race/ethnicity. Does
not include those who chose not to disclose their race.
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
18
10
87
54
81
8
13
80
86
58
29
25
41
65
23
I feel I can bring my whole self to work
I would recommend this company as a great place
to work
Feeling like I can’t talk about the impact current events
are having on me or people in my community
Discomfort sharing the challenges I am facing with my
teammates or manager
Compared to my peers in this company, I have an equal
opportunity for advancement.
All non-Black women1 Black women without alliesBlack women with allies
Black women who have allies are more likely to have positive workplace
experiences, % of employees who agree
… and less likely to experience micro-aggressions, % of employees who experienced

16. McKinsey & Company 16
Employees
want to step up,
but
often don't
know how
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research 16
… but not as many
take consistent and
concrete actions to
support them
Many employees
self-identify as
allies to women
of color…
Actively listen to
personal stories
of women of
color about bias
Take a public
stand to support
racial equality
Mentor or
sponsor one
or more women
of color
8
12
26
32
32
52
All men All women
10%
29%
39%
63%
% of employees who say
they take steps to support
women of color
of employees surveyed self-
identify as allies to women of color

17. McKinsey & Company 17
COVID-19 challenges us to reimagine work
Opportunities to work
differently (and better)
Disruptions in how we work
Source: 2020 Women in the Workplace research
Potential for greater
flexibility in working hours
can help women balance work/
life demands
Holistic support for employee
well-being can provide a more
inclusive workplace
Lack of geographic
constraints can help companies
diversify their hiring pools
Of companies
think more jobs can
be performed
remotely
Of companies say
they will cut
business travel
Of employees say
they would work
from home more
than before
91%93% 77%

18. McKinsey & Company 18
Actions companies can take
Adjust policies to better
support employees
Reset norms around
flexibility
Strengthen employee
communication
Take a close look at
performance reviews
Take an intersectional approach
to address the challenges Black
women face
Foster a culture that supports
and values Black women
Make work more
sustainable
Take steps to
minimize gender bias
To support Black women:To address challenges women are facing:

19. McKinsey & Company 19
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20. McKinsey & Company 20
Thank you
Read the full report: www.womenintheworkplace.com
Next steps:
 Company-specific results to be sent in November / December
 2021 report to kick off in Q1 2021
 Reach out to workplacesurvey@mckinsey.com for any questions