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Why Are So Many Women Passing Up Promotions?
51% of women feel less motivated to pursue promotions compared to two years ago.
Girlboss Daily
April 29, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Lara here, Girlboss’ contributing writer! 👋
A curious phenomenon is happening in the workplace these days… fewer and fewer women are gunning for promotions. 😱 The TL;DR? It’s yet another manifestation of the many ways our “unprecedented times” are burning us TF out. 🔥 Today, we’re diving into why many women are climbing down the corporate ladder—and what it means for their careers long-term.
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Why Are So Many Women Passing Up Promotions?
With the rising cost of living, strict return-to-office mandates, lack of affordable childcare, the broken rung, the glass ceiling, and all of the other things stacked against women at work (*smiles through the patriarchal pain*), it’s understandable why you mayyyy not feel like gunning for a promotion these days. 🫠
And you’re not alone: according to a recent survey of 1,000 women by British recruitment agency Robert Walters:
51% of women feel less motivated to pursue promotions compared to two years ago
81% of women working white-collar jobs felt disadvantaged compared to men during promotion cycles
38% of women indicated that their work isn’t equally valued as men’s
😭 Why is this happening now?!
The systemic forces disadvantaging women in the workplace aren’t exactly new. That said, the workplace fairness laws introduced to protect women have somehow only made things worse. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is suing a women-only workplace event, claiming it was discriminatory for excluding male employees and may have violated a civil rights law… so being a woman in the workplace has indeed reached new depths of hell. 👹
💪 What do we do about it?!
Let’s get one thing straight: No face mask, meditation app, or week-long vacation can fix a systemic problem. 👏 As easy as it is to beat yourself up over feeling the exact same way as the women in the survey, remember that you haven’t failed; your employer has. 👊
Forwarding this email to your manager is a great place to start (if we do say so ourselves), and encouraging your HR department to introduce company-wide mentorship and sponsorship programs can be a valuable way for you (and the other women at your company!) to receive the guidance and advocacy that’s actually needed when promotion season rolls around. ✅
🤔 What if we ditch the corporate ladder entirely?!
It’s not as crazy as it sounds: Gen Z grads are already doing it, according to Forbes. 👀 With fewer entry-level jobs available in the face of AI, more and more new workers are opting to start their own business or go freelance, and TBH, it’s a pretty inspired approach to an outdated corporate ladder.
Just be sure to read our guide on “How to Go Freelance—And Not Burn Out Trying” before you give your two weeks. 😉
POLL: Are you feeling less motivated to pursue promotions these days? |
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