Breaking the Broken Rung: Addressing Female Leadership Underrepresentation

The Broken Rung. It sounds like a small crack in the ladder.
In reality, it's one of the biggest reasons women remain underrepresented in leadership.

According to Women in the Workplace 2024 by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org, for every 100 men promoted to their first manager role, only 81 women are promoted. This gap at the very first promotion to management is what McKinsey calls the "Broken Rung."

And it matters because leadership journeys don't begin in the C-suite.
They begin with that first opportunity to lead.

When women are overlooked at this stage, the effects compound over time—resulting in fewer women in senior leadership, executive roles, and decision-making positions.

The conversation often focuses on the glass ceiling.

But the data tells us that the first promotion deserves just as much attention.
Because leadership equity isn't built at the top. It's built from the very first step.

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