Breaking Through the Broken Rung: Powerful Strategies for Women’s Career Advancement in 2025

Understanding the Broken Rung: Why Women’s Careers Stall Before They Start

In today’s competitive workplace, we often hear about the “glass ceiling” – that invisible barrier preventing women from reaching the highest leadership positions. However, according to McKinsey & Company’s Chief Diversity Officer Qualyn Ellenroo, there’s a more fundamental obstacle holding women back: the broken rung.

The broken rung represents that critical first promotion to manager level, where for every 100 men promoted, only 81 women achieve the same advancement. This gap is even wider for women of color, with just 64 Latina women and 54 Black women receiving promotions compared to 100 men.

This early career obstacle creates a ripple effect that impacts women’s entire professional trajectory, contributing significantly to both representation gaps and the persistent gender pay gap.

The Experience Capital Advantage: Building Your Career Foundation

One of the most powerful concepts shared by Ellenroo is “experience capital” – the skills and wisdom gained on the job that accounts for approximately 50% of a person’s lifetime income. The other half comes from education and characteristics brought to your first position.

To maximize your career advancement potential, focus on these three critical strategies early in your career:

1. Choose the right company – Organizations that invest deeply in learning and development, offer cross-functional rotations, and have clear business strategies correlate with 50% higher lifetime income.
2. Make strategic “bold moves” – Taking positions that require at least 25% new skills helps build valuable experience capital. These should happen approximately 1.7 times per decade, ideally early in your career.
3. Experience the “power alley” – Spending time in your organization’s core revenue-generating function (like lawyers in a law firm or product developers in tech) correlates with 20% higher lifetime income.

The Motherhood Penalty vs. The Fatherhood Bonus

Research reveals a troubling reality in workplaces globally: the existence of a “motherhood penalty” alongside a “fatherhood bonus.” Women with children are less likely to be hired or promoted compared to women without children. Conversely, men with children are more likely to be hired, promoted, and paid more than men without children—with the effect increasing with each additional child.

This bias manifests in concrete ways:

• In resume studies, identical resumes with female names receive lower leadership ratings than those with male names
• Women who include any indication of parenthood on their resumes are 87% less likely to receive interviews
• Three-quarters of Americans believe fathers are more dedicated to their careers than mothers

Strategies to Overcome the Motherhood Penalty

While systemic change is necessary, women can take proactive steps to mitigate these biases:

• Plan strategically for parental leave – Develop a comprehensive transition plan before maternity leave
• Maintain key connections – Stay connected with sponsors and mentors during leave periods
• Return with momentum – Create a structured onboarding plan to minimize career disruption

Building Your Network: Beyond Mentorship to Sponsorship

While networking is crucial for all professionals, women face unique challenges in this area. Ellenroo highlights that women and people of color tend to be “over-mentored but under-sponsored.”

The distinction is critical:

• Mentorship provides advice and guidance
• Sponsorship creates opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise exist

Approximately 70% of jobs are never publicly posted, making sponsorship relationships essential for career advancement. Sponsors advocate for you in rooms where decisions are made, putting their own reputation on the line to create step-up opportunities.

Networking Strategies That Work

• Focus on building relationships with potential sponsors, not just mentors
• Clearly communicate your career goals and aspirations to your network
• Demonstrate your capabilities through high-visibility projects
• Offer value to your network connections through reciprocal support

Future-Proofing Your Career: Essential Skills for Advancement

Whether you’re early in your career or re-entering the workforce, two skill categories are increasingly critical for career advancement:

1. Technical Fluency

This doesn’t necessarily mean coding, but rather the ability to:

• Understand how technology impacts your role and organization
• Become a “super user” of relevant technologies
• Translate between technical capabilities and business applications
• Stay current with technological trends in your industry

2. Social and Emotional Skills

Contrary to popular belief, “soft skills” can be systematically developed:

• Negotiation and conflict resolution
• Empathy and emotional intelligence
• Leadership and inspiration
• Communication and collaboration

Approximately 25% of skills required for senior roles fall into the soft skills category, making them increasingly valuable for career advancement.

Optimizing Your Financial Future

Women face unique financial challenges that require proactive planning:

• Women live longer than men but experience 25% more years in poor health
• Women spend more on healthcare but have lower retirement savings
• Women hold the majority of part-time positions, impacting long-term financial security

Action Steps for Financial Independence

1. Get actively involved in your financial decisions
2. Understand your investments and retirement planning
3. Work toward financial independence
4. Explore career opportunities with higher earning potential to boost your long-term financial security

Building a More Equitable Workplace: Tools for Change

Organizations can take concrete steps to address the broken rung and create more equitable career advancement opportunities:

1. Implement transparent promotion criteria – Clear, objective standards reduce the impact of unconscious bias
2. Create sponsorship programs – Formalize the process of connecting high-potential women with senior leaders
3. Offer flexible work arrangements – Support work-life integration without career penalties
4. Track and analyze promotion data – Measure progress on closing the gender gap at all levels
5. Address bias in performance reviews – Train managers to recognize and mitigate unconscious bias

FAQ: Breaking Through the Broken Rung