Resignation of women in executive positions doubles the number of promotions

“Businesses have a new pipeline problem. Women leaders are leaving their companies at the highest rate we have ever seen, and at a much higher rate than male leaders,” warns consulting firm McKinsey in a new report. According to the firm’s investigation, two women in leadership they resign for each one that manages to ascend to that level.

For the eighth year in a row, the firm’s research shows that companies maintain a broken rung that prevents women from ascending to management positions. For every 100 men who are promoted to entry-level management positions, only 87 women achieve these promotions. But this year, the companies have a new challenge: the permanence of the workers who managed to break through the glass ceiling.

Fátima Masse, coordinator of the Inclusive Society of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (Imco), considers that this female brain drain in leadership positions is linked to the design of the positions, that is, jobs at these levels are not usually designed for women.

“It’s not like the positions have to be highly profiled, but there’s a reason why many women are discouraged to take promotions or to work in certain occupations and it is that they are incompatible with the reality they live and it is not a lack of aspiration, but a real incompatibility. This is combined with this greater need for well-being that we were left with after the pandemic”, explains the specialist.

Earlier this year, a Qualtrics study alerted to this phenomenon. The report of Employee Experience Trends 2022 showed a decrease in the interest of women in decision-making positions in remaining in their companies.

Although McKinsey’s analysis is limited to the US labor market. For Fatima Masse, the lack of leadership positions designed for female talent is a phenomenon that is also observed in our country.

According to the firm’s investigation, the female workforce in leadership positions, they resign due to factors such as microaggressions (more tendency to perceive that they are not qualified for the position, for example), work overloads and low recognition, as well as a desire for work flexibility and commitment to the well-being of others. the employees.

“Permanence is key throughout the structure, because if you want to think about the possibility of women growing, it is important that it be considered from the start. entry pointwhere we see that in the majority there is parity”, points out Fátima Masse.

For Aideé Zamorano, founder of Mama Godín, the great challenge in Mexico continues to be focused on the incorporation of women into the labor market. However, the study Women in the Workplace 2022 The McKinsey survey shows that even in the most advanced economies, the female workforce has not overcome barriers to both joining and staying in companies.

“In Mexico our own laws put the floor very uneven for women, especially when we decide to become mothers. One of the solutions that I see is the lack of a national care system so that all of us can participate in the care of children, the elderly or people with disabilities, because if we review history, these care tasks are the ones that have fallen into women and those who do not allow them to participate in the world of work”, points out the specialist.

The data from the ranking of Mama Godín 2022 show that only the 8% of companies in Mexico has at least 50% female representation in leadership positions. “The women stay at the entrance, they open the door for you, but you stay in the corridor, in the positions of staff or personal contribution, but when you analyze the organization charts of the companies that are on the list, you see how the representation of women at the highest levels is falling ”, she shares.

What are the pending tasks?

McKinsey recommends that companies strengthen pillars such as remote work, the development of leaders that promote respect and inclusion, and implement benefits and policies that encourage both entry and exit. permanence of women In the labor market.

“To achieve significant and sustainable progress towards the gender equality, companies should consider focusing on two overarching goals: getting more women into leadership roles and retaining the women leaders they already have. That will require going beyond common practices. Companies with a better representation of women, especially women of color, go further,” the firm underlines in its research.

From Fatima Masse’s perspective, an important point that must be strengthened is that employers see the benefit of adding more women. “Today it is seen as an agenda to which they give in due to pressure, but it is assumed as a matter of social responsibility and things are done to give a palomeo.”

Despite the fact that gender training is important, these are not enough actions, says the specialist. “But if you are convinced that it is convenient for you to have more women in decision makingWhat you need is to first understand how you are. If the managerial level is the main drain and you know what happens due to maternity, for example, then you have to think about what can be done”.

In the opinion of Aideé Zamorano, the national care system and the increase in paternity leave Non-transferable are actions that can promote the incorporation and permanence of more female talent in companies.

On the other hand, workplaces have to innovate, considers the specialist. “It is worth going beyond what is dictated by the Federal Labor Law, which today has many holes. It is worth that from the private sector we also innovate and think about what benefits can be offered to their employees that allow them to participate in the corporate ladder, but also combine work with the personal sphere”.