Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Stuck in neutral
Jobs | Healthcare | COVID-19
May 11, 2022 – Women employed in the healthcare sector have seen success, but like so many other industries, their progress in representation drops as they aim for higher levels in the pipeline. Women working in healthcare saw an 8.3 percent promotion rate to the C-suite in 2019, but that figure plummeted to 0.8 percent in 2021.
To read the article, see “Women in healthcare and life sciences: The ongoing stress of COVID-19,” April 8, 2022.
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Visual form
Two-panel grouped bar chart with benchmark lines.
Layout / body structure
The chart is split into a 2019 panel on the left and a 2021 panel on the right, each covering the same five promotion levels from manager through C-suite. Read across one level within a panel to compare women, men, and the dashed all-industries benchmark, then compare the same level across the two years.
What is being compared
The chart compares internal promotion rates in healthcare for women and men at five management levels. It also compares healthcare promotion rates against a dashed all-industries benchmark, and it compares the pre-pandemic 2019 picture with the 2021 picture.
Measurement system
The vertical scale is percent promoted into the next level. Light blue bars represent women, dark bars represent men, and the dashed horizontal markers show the all-industries reference point for each level.
Visible structure inside the graphic
Each panel repeats the same five category groups, with two bars per group and a dashed benchmark line crossing each category. The side-by-side year layout makes the drop in bar heights easy to see, while the benchmark lines show when healthcare falls short of the broader economy.
Main takeaway from the visual
Promotion rates in healthcare are weaker in 2021 than in 2019 and generally sit below the all-industries benchmarks, especially toward the top of the pipeline. The most dramatic deterioration is at the C-suite level for women, where the once-high promotion bar nearly disappears by 2021.
Key standout values or extremes
Women’s promotion rate to the C-suite falls from 8.3 percent in 2019 to 1.0 percent in 2021, while men move from 4.0 percent to 5.0 percent at that level. At lower levels, manager promotion drops from 5 percent for women and 6 percent for men in 2019 to 3 percent for both in 2021, and senior-manager promotion moves from 5 percent for both to 4 percent for both.
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.