When the career ladder breaks for women—and how to succeed anyway

The McKinsey Podcast

Career advancement is tough for everyone—but for women, it can feel particularly elusive. There’s a reason for that, according to the new book The Broken Rung: for every 100 men promoted early in their careers, only 81 women experience that same opportunity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, the book’s authors, McKinsey Senior Partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez, join McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss the challenges that can limit professional women’s progress—as well as the approaches some have used to find their footing and continue to climb the career ladder successfully. 

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2025-03-27 26 min

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