麦肯锡-女性在医疗保健中的代表性五年回顾（英）

Healthcare PracticeA five-year review of women’s representation in healthcareSince 2020, women’s representation in healthcare has stagnated despite remaining higher than in other industries. Focused efforts that create a better environment for women to thrive are critical.This article is a collaborative effort by Gretchen Berlin and Lucy Pérez, with Jessie Chen, Mayra Sharma, and Sansha Cornelio, representing views from McKinsey’s Healthcare Practice.May 2025A five-year review of women’s representation in healthcare2The healthcare industry has long been a leader when it comes to women’s representation in the workforce. It has proved to be an attractive destination for the roughly 40 percent of US STEM college graduates who are women.1 In fact, in the United States, nursing is the largest healthcare profession, and 88 percent of nurses are women.2 And while women in healthcare have found it tough to climb the career ladder and break the glass ceiling, our prior annual-survey-based reports—first published in 2019—have found positive trends toward improving promotion rates and overall retention.However, our most recent survey shows that progress might be slowing; barriers remain that require focused investment from healthcare organizations. Women’s representation hasn’t seen much change between 2020 and 2024, and in fact, attrition rates have gotten worse. Our analysis is focused on the workforce at healthcare organizations (including payers, providers, and healthcare services and technology firms) and is based on data obtained for Women in the Workplace 2024: The 10th-anniversary report and the Women in the Workplace 2020 report published by McKinsey and LeanIn.Org (see sidebar, “Research methodology”).3McKinsey research published in 2021 raised concerns about the potential for lingering challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic to put disproportionate stress on women in the healthcare workforce compared with men in healthcare.4 Subsequent research on the healthcare workforce pointed to challenges in promotion and retention, noting that the industry has room for improvement.5 These concerns remain evident in our most recent analysis.1 Richard Fry, Brian Kennedy, and Cary Funk, “STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity,” Pew Research Center, April 1, 2021; “Number and percentage distribution of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees/certificates conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity, level of degree/certificate, and sex of student: Academic years 2012-13 through 2022-23,” National Center for Education Statistics, December 2024.2 “2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses Snapshot,” Health Resources and Services Administration, March 2024.3 Alexis Krivkovich, Emily Field, Lareina Yee, Megan McConnell, and Hannah Smith, Women in the Workplace 2024: The 10th-anniversary report, a joint report from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey, September 17, 2024; Sarah Coury,