Experts at Columbus Metropolitan Club forum: ambition gap reflects missing supports, not lack of drive

At a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum held at the National Veterans Memorial Museum, researchers and nonprofit leaders said the so‑called "ambition gap" reflects missing supports in organizations, not a decline in women's desire to advance.

Michelle Bryant, partner at McKinsey & Company, said McKinsey's multi‑year dataset shows "we do not mean women are opting out"; instead, "the number of women relative to men who report that they want to be promoted to the next level in corporate America has declined," a pattern she called a rational response to lacking organizational support.

The panelists identified several drivers. Bryant highlighted the "broken rung" at the first promotion and what she described as a "flexibility penalty": women who work remotely three or more days a week face about a 10% lower promotion rate than comparable men, and that penalty is larger for entry‑level women. Bryant also said many companies have paused or canceled programs aimed at advancing women, particularly women of color.

Kelly Griesemer, president and CEO of the Women's Fund of Central Ohio, said local focus groups found women "are ambitious, but they also can't see the path forward," pointing to collapsed supports, limited trust in organizations' commitments and barriers such as childcare and transportation. "The system was created for the person who was existing in it at the time," she said, arguing organizations must be redesigned to meet today's workforce.

Panelists raised race and intersectionality as compounding factors. Lillian Morales Lester, executive director of Empowering Latinas Leadership, described lived‑experience barriers for Latinas, noting pre‑COVID gains in pay equity have stalled and leave many starting further behind at entry levels. Dr. Pamela Gregory, owner and CFO of the National Center for Urban Solutions, said women hold many leadership roles in the nonprofit and public sectors in Columbus, but remain underrepresented in the corporate sector; she cited that roughly 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

On remedies, the panel urged intentional sponsorship and mentoring: Bryant said women are half as likely as men to have a senior‑level sponsor, a gap that hinders advancement. Panelists recommended employers restore and fund programs that support advancement, provide transparent negotiation and promotion pathways, and expand practical accommodations — for example, lactation space and schedule flexibility — that make it feasible for mothers and caregivers to participate and advance.

Audience questions raised concrete concerns about motherhood, AI access and how individuals and organizations can help. In response to a motherhood question, Dr. Pamela Gregory advised women to seek employers that provide supports such as nursing spaces and less volatile positions, while panelists also encouraged entrepreneurship and local mentoring. On AI, Bryant urged women to learn practical AI tools and seek sponsors to help translate those skills into career advantage.

Sofia Pfiffner, CEO and president of the Columbus Metropolitan Club, closed the session by urging attendees to "invest in women" through philanthropy, mentoring and organizational action; she said the club will make the referenced report available on its website. The panel did not announce formal policy actions; discussion focused on research findings, lived experience and voluntary steps organizations and individuals can take.

The forum also directed listeners to additional resources, including the McKinsey report and the recommended book "This Isn't Working: How Working Women Can Overcome Stress, Guilt, and Overload to Find True Success" by Megan French Dunbar.