In 2022, a study from MIT Sloan associate professor Danielle Li found that, on average, women receive higher performance ratings than male employees. And yet, according to her paper “‘Potential’ and the Gender Promotion Gap,” they’re 14 percent less likely to get promoted than their male colleagues.
We know what you’re probably thinking: “What else is new?” “Not surprising.” Or worse—“It’s never going to change.” After all, it’s been two years and things are more or less the same. As the leading matching and hiring platform, Indeed agrees, and that’s why they’ve decided to take action.
Indeed is committed to making the workplace better for women, and this year Indeed is hoping more companies do the same. Enter: The #ActuallyPromoteWomen campaign. “[Indeed’s] #ActuallyPromoteWomen campaign centers around the idea that a lot of brands use Women’s History Month to ‘promote women’ on their social channels with generic and overused language like, ‘The Future is Female’ and ‘Girl Boss,’” says a spokesperson for the employment company. “But Indeed is challenging them to promote women within their organization and careers. When there is female and diverse representation at the leadership level, companies perform better and see better results.”
It’s true: They did their research. According to a study by the Deloitte Global Boardroom Program, only 20 percent of executive board seats are held by women. And yet companies with women on their boards become 10 times more profitable, according to gender diversity consultancy The Pipeline. When women are in leadership roles, companies see higher returns1, higher productivity2, greater innovation3 and a more inclusive workplace culture.
In fact, having more women in the workplace actually makes an organization a better place to work—for people of all genders—according to research from the Center for Creative Leadership. Having more women is also positively related to employee engagement and retention. Specifically, when asked why they stay with their current employer, people from organizations with a high percentage of women were more likely to cite positive and meaningful organizational culture, including having: enjoyable work, a job that fits well with other areas of their life and opportunities to make a difference, cites the study.
As part of their commitment to help inspire more workplace equality, Indeed has created a slew of topics, resources and opportunities to help set women—like you—up for success. Curious about finding a flexible workplace or creating new opportunity for yourself? They’ve got some ideas. To learn more about the #ActuallyPromoteWomen campaign and how to better your own career growth, just visit their website.
Here’s hoping that next time Women’s History Month comes around, we’ll have some big promotions to show for it.