Attitudes toward women in leadership have improved dramatically over the past six decades, but new research suggests many female executives believe the barriers to reaching the top have become more subtle rather than disappearing.
A new survey of 193 U.S. senior executives revisits a question first posed in a 1965 Harvard Business Review study on women in executive roles. While overt skepticism about women leaders has largely faded, the latest findings point to widening differences between how male and female executives experience promotions, evaluations, and career opportunities.
Men and Women See the Workplace Very Differently
The biggest divide emerged around performance standards.
Nine in 10 women surveyed said female executives are judged more critically than men, compared with just 35% of male executives. Researchers noted that men gave nearly the same response to this question two decades ago, while women’s perceptions have shifted sharply.
The study also found that 83% of women believe they must outperform men to achieve the same career success, compared with 28% of men. Women were also far less likely to believe promotion standards are applied equally or that their organizations operate as true meritocracies.
The Leadership Pipeline Remains Uneven
Researchers argue the challenge today is less about attitudes toward women leaders and more about who gains access to the experiences that lead to executive roles.
Women remain heavily represented in support functions such as HR, legal, and finance, while operational leadership positions—which are among the most common pathways to CEO—continue to be dominated by men. Industry data shows women held just 16% of chief operating officer roles in 2025.
The report also points to ongoing disparities in sponsorship and career development. Previous research has found men are more likely to be encouraged to pursue operational leadership assignments and receive coaching for roles with profit-and-loss responsibility, experiences that often determine who advances into senior management.
Progress Has Shifted From Bias to Process
Rather than identifying overt discrimination as the primary obstacle, the researchers argue that many barriers now exist within informal decision-making processes.
Executives interviewed for the study described differences in visibility, sponsorship, developmental opportunities, and assumptions about career ambitions—factors that are difficult to measure through formal workplace policies but can influence promotion decisions over time.
The report concludes that organizations have made substantial progress changing attitudes toward women in leadership. However, without greater consistency in promotion criteria, leadership development, and access to operational experience, researchers say gaps in advancement are likely to persist despite broader acceptance of women in executive roles.
