Women in the Workplace: Progress and Frustration

Many gains have been made over the past several decades, but challenges remain for true equality at work.

So much progress has been made, yet true equality is still a dream. So many cracks in the glass ceiling, but it stubbornly remains intact.

That’s the state of women in the workforce in 2025, a reality check that reflects the dramatically changed landscape over the past several decades in America, as well as the bumpy road ahead. The good news is that women have made significant advances in labor force participation and pay, along with a growing presence in the highest-paying positions.

However, studies assert that momentum has recently stalled, with large gender gaps in top-level government and business leadership, especially among women of color, according to Pew Research Center.

Looking back over the past decade, it’s clear that organizations have placed more women in positions of power and promoted more inclusive policies in the workplace, but the gains are far short of equitable and more fragile than they might appear at first glance. To achieve true equality, companies need to push further.

In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s break down the advances that have been made, the challenges that remain, and what the outlook is for the years ahead.

Decades of progress

Here’s where we stand: According to recent Pew Research data, women make up nearly half of the overall U.S. labor force — currently 47% as opposed to 30% in 1950. A meaningful gain but the numbers have levelled off in recent years. Consider that women are projected to remain the minority at least through 2032, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

One of the more encouraging trends is that women now outnumber men among workers with college educations, making up slightly more than half the workforce in that demographic, having first gained a slim majority in 2019. Another bright spot is the notable headway made in promoting women to C-suite positions, reaching nearly a third as opposed to 17% just 10 years ago.

And recent studies show that women’s gains in the ten highest-paying occupations — those that pay more than $100,000 a year — have nearly tripled since 1980, especially among physicians, lawyers and dentists.

Noteworthy progress, but much work remains before women reach equal representation. How much more effort companies intend to exert is the question.

Persistent challenges remain

The gender pay gap — the difference between the median earnings of men and women — has stagnated over recent decades, remaining relatively flat in the U.S. over the past 20 years. Recent surveys show that women typically earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, roughly the same as in 2002. A majority of women (61%) believe the main reason for this gap is that employers simply perceive and treat them differently.

A particularly stubborn barrier to advancement is the fact that men are still more likely to be hired into entry-level positions, leaving women underrepresented from the very beginning of their careers. This obviously makes it more difficult to be promoted to a manager position; there are 81 women promoted for every 100 men.

This might well be the single most impactful factor behind the persistent inequality. Giving men a leg up from the jump provides a significant advantage, similar to allowing a sprinter a five-yard lead before the race even begins. It’s notable that women have managed to make such remarkable progress in the workplace in light of such handicaps.

Companies clearly need to stay proactive and double down on their efforts to give women equal footing in the workplace, strengthening efforts to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies. Sadly, those efforts have been declining, according to a recent study of more than 1,000 companies from LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company.

At a time when companies should be increasing their diversity efforts, there are initial signs they’re pulling back.

The outlook ahead

A majority of workers, both men and women, agree that companies have taken some steps in recent years to help boost the advancement of women and create a more level playing field, acknowledging companies’ efforts to make the workplace more equitable, according to Pew Research studies.

The numbers bear this out. Employers have been making efforts to remove bias from hiring and performance reviews, and they’re offering more support services for mothers and caregivers, as well as those facing health issues.

Taken all together, however, it’s still a mixed bag. Although the outlook has improved for women in some areas, it’s clear that companies will need to push further to keep up with a changing world, says Emma Codd, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for Deloitte, a leading worldwide consulting and audit firm.

“Despite a small number of improvements since last year, our survey tells us that women are facing mounting pressures in the workplace, their personal lives, and in their communities,” she wrote in Deloitte’s annual Women @ Work: A Global Outlook survey.

“Globally, women feel their rights are backsliding, they are experiencing increased stress and taking on the majority of household tasks at home. Alongside this they are experiencing non-inclusive behaviors at work, are concerned for their safety and feel unable to disclose when they are experiencing women’s health challenges. This is a situation that must change — and employers must enable this.”

Whether they continue pushing forward or backslide into the past, only time will tell.