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Experts at Columbus Metropolitan Club forum: ambition gap reflects missing supports, not lack of drive
Summary
Panelists at a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum said data show women remain ambitious but face a "broken rung" at first promotion, a remote‑work flexibility penalty and reduced DEI investments; they recommended sponsorship, mentoring and expanded workplace supports.
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…
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