Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Decades away from gender parity
Diversity & Inclusion | Private equity
September 26, 2023 – While the quest for gender parity in global private markets has made progress in recent years, much remains to be done. According to a study by senior partners Pontus Averstad, Fredrik Dahlqvist, and colleagues, the problem is most acute at the senior levels of private equity firms. At the current rate of progress, reaching gender parity in investing roles at the managing-director level would take more than six decades. Achieving gender parity at the principal level would take more than three decades.
To read the report, see “The state of diversity in global private markets: 2023,” August 22, 2023.
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Visual form
Categorical parity-timeline chart. It shows the expected years to gender parity by job level rather than over calendar time.
Layout / body structure
The chart presents the investing-role levels as a vertical list and pairs them with a visual device for how many years remain to parity. The reading order runs from senior roles at the top down to entry level at the bottom.
What is being compared
It compares the number of years required to reach gender parity in investing roles at five levels: managing director, principal, vice president, associate, and entry level.
Measurement system
The unit is years to parity. This is a role-by-role duration comparison, not a percentage share or a time-series line.
Visible structure inside the graphic
The page uses a simple category layout with the role labels aligned beside the years-to-parity visual. That design keeps the focus on how long each rung of the hierarchy is expected to take rather than on decorative detail.
Main takeaway from the visual
Parity gets farther away as the roles become more senior. The chart is built to show that the top of the investing hierarchy remains the slowest part of the ladder to change.
Key standout values or extremes
The managing-director level is the most delayed and the entry-level role is the nearest to parity. The title makes the broader point explicit by saying that, depending on the level, the wait stretches across multiple decades.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.