July 24, 2025
Black women are still being overlooked in the workplace, a new report finds.
“The 2024 McKinsey Women in the Workplace Report” shows “white women on the rise,” while Black women remain overlooked, under-supported, under-promoted, and penalized for the very leadership traits companies say they value, according to one critic.
The report, crafted from a survey of nearly 300 companies employing over 10 million people, found that workplace bias continues to hit Black women the hardest. While women overall have made notable strides, Black women remain underrepresented, holding just seven percent of C-suite positions (a modest four percent rise since 2017) and receiving little to no mentorship to help them advance, leaving them trailing far behind their white counterparts.
Business coach and Three Trees Center for Change founder Ben Motley said this dynamic creates a workplace reality where white women in C-suite roles often “take on the same toxic behaviors as white men.”
“The report does state that there’s been a steady rise in women in leadership positions. But in reality, it’s just a rise in white women,” he said in an Instagram video. “It’s still built on the same systems of control that have harmed so many for so long in the workplace.”
The ignited calls for social justice and inclusion in 2020 saw slight gains for Black women professionals in 2021 and 2022. But the recent report saw “Black women’s promotion rates this year regressed to 2020 levels.”
At the current rate, white women could reach workplace parity in about 22 years, but for Black women, it would take twice as long. Companies share some of the blame. Many have scaled back the career development, mentorship, and sponsorship programs once intended to help women advance.
“Relatively few companies track these programs’ outcomes, and in all cases, companies are investing in fewer programs designed to advance women of color,” the report said.
With mentorship often at the heart of promotions and raises, the report found Black women trail behind white women in this key area.
“Given that employees with consistent manager support are more likely to be promoted, this very likely disadvantages women of color.”
The report also revealed a double standard in the workplace where white women are often praised for showing vulnerability, while Black women are penalized for the same traits. Qualities like empathy, authenticity, and emotional honesty are frequently touted as ideal leadership skills but are viewed as shortcomings when expressed by Black women.
While white women are making strides that boost overall female representation, the persistent disparities facing Black women expose deeper systemic issues, ones that, according to Motley, only fuel more workplace toxicity.
“So white people, my belief is that the last thing we need is more white women climbing into positions of power just to sustain the abusive systems that have harmed everybody,” he said. “We need leaders who are willing to challenge and disrupt the system because if your style of leadership only works for people who look like you, it’s not leadership at all.”
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