Henry Ford declared that “No woman can do the work of a man’s job,”  in the 1920s - a claim believed by most people at the time. Yet within a few decades, history wasted no time proving him wrong. When millions of men were pulled away from factories and into the trenches during World Wars I and II, women stepped in to take their place on assembly lines, in offices, and in hospitals. They didn’t just keep the economy running – they proved to the world that the “weaker sex” could weld, lead and manage under dire circumstances.
So if women alone were able to hold nations together and keep the country going in wartime, why are they still being told they do not belong at the top of the workplace ladder in peacetime?

In 2024, women made up 41.2% of the workforce worldwide, with considerable increases in formerly male-dominated industries like infrastructure (+8.9 percentage points). Nonetheless, women continue to be concentrated in lower-paying, people-focused sectors such as healthcare and care (58.5%) and education (52.9%), demonstrating the persistence of gender-based sectoral segregation. In the face of demographic changes and technological advancements, a more balanced representation of men and women in the workforce across all industries would foster innovation and creativity, solve the lack of talent and skills, and reduce salary disparities. 

The first hurdle is often the promotion ladder. Researchers call it the "broken rung." For every 100 men who are promoted to management, only about 72 women are. This gap resulted in fewer women in senior roles, fewer role models for younger women, and fewer female applicants for higher positions. The promotion gap in leadership roles is a significant issue, with many individuals not fully aware of it. HR directors often cite a shortage of skilled women in the pipeline or restricted access to sponsorship as the main obstacles to achieving equal representation. However, most agree that women are playing a role in leadership, and few believe they are less inclined to take on managerial responsibilities or are less prepared to put in the necessary effort.

To address this issue, it is crucial to promote and hire women to first-level managers at the same rates as men. By achieving this, 1 million more women will be added to management in corporate America over the next 5 years.

However, workplace equality is about climbing ranks, recognition, and respect once women arrive. More than 1/3 of women in leadership roles say a colleague has claimed credit for their ideas. Men and women still are not even held to the same standards of behaviour; women who fight for themselves or their ideas get labelled "emotional" or "aggressive," whereas in men, that behaviour is said to be "confident" and "persistent". When women do get promoted, they are often put in "glass cliff" positions - assignments in crisis, in which failure is assured.

What's changing is that women are no longer taking these dynamics lying down. From Silicon Valley to Wall Street, from media to politics, millions of women have spoken out against harassment, pay disparities, and toxic work environments. The #MeToo movement brought industries to re-evaluate power structures with great numbers of abuse cases occurring in workplaces. Against this backdrop, younger workers increasingly push for transparency around salaries, parental leave, and flexible working policies. Nearly half of major companies now publish gender pay-gap data, up sharply from just a few years ago. However, the progress is uneven - less than 1% have closed the gap entirely, but visibility has made inequality impossible to ignore.

Corporate policies are also shifting extremely unevenly. Some companies have also implemented mentorship pipelines, sponsorship schemes, and leadership quotas to fast-track women into senior positions. Indeed, Scandinavian countries lead the way with strong childcare support and parental leave, showing that the structure of support matters. It allows women to navigate the demands of work and family, but only if it does not become just another justification to keep them out of their jobs, but rather recognises women’s needs. 

Beyond policy, the culture is being recast. Leaders like Sheryl Sandberg have contended that women need to “lean in,” while critics respond with resistance, noting that it’s actual systemic barriers, not a lack of individual ambition, are to blame. Whitney Wolfe Herd, who took Bumble public while serving as the youngest female CEO of a Big Tech IPO, is just one of a new generation of women redefining success by rewriting the rules of their respective businesses. On a global level, women in politics have also transformed perceptions of leadership - women like New Zealand's former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, who have demonstrated that empathy and resilience are not drawbacks to leadership but attributes. These voices have to be heard since they are transforming how the world thinks of authority and power with women involved. 

Why does all of this matter? Because workplace equality is not just a women's issue. Diversity in the boardroom leads to greater innovation and profitability. Countries with greater female participation have faster economic growth. Diversity adds perspectives that improve decision-making, products, and culture. It's not political correctness - it is about competitiveness. Leaving half the talent pool behind is not only unfair, it is also a huge drawback for business and economy.

However, the deeper problem is cultural: Who is allowed to be seen as a leader? The original image of leadership has been male for far too long - women are able to get the same education as men, thus they deserve to get high-paying and important jobs while being judged by their knowledge and ability to do the job, rather than gender. Representation breeds possibility. If the problem is viewed on an international level, the next generation of women and girls will never think about whether they "belong" in leadership - they will ask what kind of leader they intend to be.

From Ford's dismissive sneer through today's boardrooms, the story of women at work is the story of perseverance. The progress has been incremental, fitful, and sometimes downright maddening, but it's real. Women have battled for every promotion, every pay increase, every executive chair. In the process, they have shifted the work landscape - not just for themselves, but for everybody - making the workplace more flexible, empathetic, and forward-thinking. The battle for gender equality is not won, but the direction of travel is clear. What looked beyond belief is now already a matter of course, and today's state of affairs will soon become best practice. 

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