As workplaces celebrate the contributions of women this International Women’s Day, new research from Careerminds reveals a persistent career development gap for female professionals. Despite comparable performance, women are less likely than their male peers to receive high-impact training, leadership opportunities, and pay increases — disparities that experts warn could slow advancement and reinforce systemic inequities.
A survey of over 1,000 full-time U.S. workers found that women consistently report fewer career development opportunities, smaller raises, and less recognition from managers compared to men, highlighting the ongoing barriers women face in advancing their careers.
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Women still face a career development gap, study finds
While women now make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, recent research from Careerminds shows that female professionals still face gaps in recognition for their skills, career-development opportunities, and pay.
The pattern is clear: women are less likely to receive high-impact development opportunities, mentorship, and promotions, while men gain greater access to the types of training and visibility that drive pay increases and career advancement. This uneven access can limit advancement and reinforce systemic barriers for women in the workplace.
New research from Careerminds, which surveyed over 1,000 full-time U.S. workers across multiple industries, exposes this troubling trend, finding that women are less recognized for their contributions, offered fewer leadership programs and certifications, and are more likely to report never having discussions with their managers about career development.
Women feel less recognized for their skills and contributions at work
When asked whether U.S. professionals agree that their manager is “fully aware of their skills and contributions, the survey reveals that women are 72% more likely to disagree compared to men (7.5% vs. 4.3%). The data also found that women were more likely than men to strongly disagree with the statement (2.4% vs. 1.9%). Similarly, male professionals are more likely to strongly agree that their manager recognizes their skills (44.2% vs. 40.7%).
Therefore, it’s unsurprising that women are less likely than men to receive monthly meetings with their manager to discuss their skills, achievements, and career development (18.9% vs. 26.9%). Women are also significantly more likely to have these discussions only annually (28.2% vs. 16.4%).
Perhaps most concerning, the data revealed that female professionals were 1.54 times more likely than their male counterparts to report that they never have discussions with their managers about their skills, achievements, or career development (6.1% vs. 4.5%).
Women miss out on high-impact career development opportunities
Careerminds’ research also reveals that there is unequal access to professional development for female professionals compared to their male peers. While female professionals often receive virtual training courses, male professionals have greater access to high-impact training such as face-to-face workshops, leadership-development programs, and formal certifications — the types of credentials that organizations typically reward with higher pay and promotions.
Key disparities include:
- Leadership-development programs: 27.7% of male employees vs. 22.6% of female employees
- Technical skill certifications: 27.7% of male workers vs. 16.22% of female workers
- Soft-skill certifications: 19.4% of male vs. 16.2% of female employees
- Exposure to executive meetings or leadership presentations: 17.5% of male professionals vs. 15.9% of female professionals
Female professionals also miss out on informal development opportunities such as shadowing colleagues and participating in cross-department projects — all activities that increase visibility and influence within organizations.
The research also examined how frequently employees are offered development opportunities at work. One in nine female professionals (11.4%) report they never receive development opportunities, compared to 8.3% of men.
This, unsurprisingly, results in almost one in five female professionals (19.2%) reporting dissatisfaction with how often they are given training, mentoring, or career development opportunities, including 4.3% who say they are very dissatisfied. In comparison, 16.8% of male professionals report the same, with 3.9% saying they are very dissatisfied.
Similarly, the data found that male professionals are slightly more likely to report being very satisfied with the frequency and availability of training and career development opportunities to them (37.2% vs. 34.0%).
Nearly a third of women did not receive a pay raise in the past year
The survey also found that pay progression is influenced by gender. In the past 12 months, nearly one in three women (29.5%) did not receive a pay raise, compared to 21.3% of men.
Women were also more likely to receive smaller increases:
- 13.2% of women received raises of less than 2%, compared to 10.2% of men.
- Only 5.3% of women received raises exceeding 10%, compared to 6.1% of men.
Men consider leaving their roles more often
Despite being offered more development opportunities, men appear more likely to reach a breaking point.
The research found that 62.6% of male employees say they have considered leaving their role due to limited career development opportunities, compared to 53.2% of women. Meanwhile, women are also significantly more likely to say they’ve never considered leaving their role (46.8% vs. 37.3%).
This dynamic, where women report less access to development opportunities yet are less likely to leave, may point to a deeper systemic imbalance in how career advancement is experienced across genders.
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“Organizations that want to retain and empower top female talent need to be intentional about how they create visibility, access, and advancement opportunities across the workforce,” says Amanda Augustine, resident career expert for Careerminds and a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC). “At the same time, women can take proactive steps to advocate for their own growth and ensure their contributions are recognized.”
Augustine suggests the following tips for employers and employees to strengthen women’s visibility and confidence at work:
For employers:
1. Look closely at who’s sitting in leadership seats. If women rarely see other women in leadership roles, it sends a message — intentional or not — about who gets to advance. Organizations should regularly review representation across leadership levels and look for opportunities to promote or recruit qualified women into decision-making roles.
2. Create spaces where women feel supported and heard. Employee resource groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, and leadership initiatives for women can help build confidence, connection, and visibility. Just as important, they create a channel for employees to share ideas and feedback that can help shape more supportive workplace policies.
3. Make career paths clearer and more transparent. When employees understand what it takes to move forward, it helps reduce gaps in advancement. Tools like Careerminds’ Career Frameworks help organizations map skills to roles, promotions, and rewards, while Career Enablement gives employees the tools and guidance they need to take ownership of their career growth.
For women in the workplace:
1. Make your work visible. Strong performance matters, but visibility does too. Keep your manager informed about key projects and outcomes so your contributions don’t go unnoticed.
2. Build a network of mentors and sponsors. Mentors can offer guidance, while sponsors can advocate for you when opportunities arise. Both can play an important role in helping professionals advance.
3. Take ownership of your career path. Don’t wait for opportunities to appear. Talk with your manager about your career goals, identify the skills you want to build, and look for experiences that help position you for the next step.
