What the Ambition Gap Actually Measures

Today's Executive Briefing: Before You Call It an Ambition Gap McKinsey and LeanIn.Org's Women in the Workplace 2025 asked employees, “Do you want to be promoted to the next level?” Eighty percent of women and 86 percent of men said yes. That six-point difference is a valid finding about interest in the next promotion. It cannot establish a general difference in ambition. The survey question did not measure a person's desire for greater authority, responsibility, scope, or impact across the...