How do women move through the talent pipeline in the U.S. corporate world, and how does that compare to how women do in U.S. political elections? 

In the corporate world, women start out at 48% of entry level workers across larger U.S. companies. Women drop down to 29% of the C-suite— just under 1 in 3 of those reporting to the CEO of larger companies. For women of color, it drops from 19% at the entry level to 7% in the C-suite. So one out of 14 people reporting to a CEO in large U.S. companies across industries is a Black, Latina, Asian, or Native-American woman all added together.

At the national level of U.S. political elections, it is similar: 1 in 4 U.S. Senators are women and just under 29% of U.S. House of Representatives are women. At a state level, 1 out of 4 state governors are women and roughly 1 out of 3 state legislators are women. As we look at women of color in political leadership roles, the dropoff that we see in the corporate world also happens in politics: 5 of the 100 U.S. Senators are women of color, the highest number ever.

There is a disconnect between how women excel academically and then start to drop off in representation in the corporate world and in politics. While the gaps at senior levels have been getting smaller over time, there are still large gaps for women and particularly large gaps for women of color. How can women, as well as men and society more broadly, close these gaps more quickly?

We will be exploring women’s representation in the U.S. corporate world and how women can best navigate their careers in the upcoming “Women on Wednesdays” virtual session on Wed, Sep 10^th at 6 pm ET. Kweilin Ellingrud, co-author, will cover the highlights from the recent best-selling book, The Broken Rung: When the Career Ladder Breaks for Women and How They Can Succeed In Spite of It. Details and registration here.