Every 20 years since 1965, Harvard Business Review publishes an article with the results of a survey asking men and women executives nearly identical questions about the perception of women in executive roles.
In 1965, 2,000 executives were surveyed, of which a “substantially large” portion of men viewed women in management roles negatively, because they viewed the executive suite as an inappropriate place for women to be.
Fast forward 60 years. Researchers conducted a new iteration of the study, surveying 193 men and women senior executives in the U.S. The survey shows attitudes improved greatly between 1965 and 2006—but since then, a gap has surfaced in how men and women view opportunities, standards and evaluation in the workplace.
In 2006, men and women answered nearly identically (35%) to a question asking whether women were judged more critically in executive roles. Now, men still answer at 35%, but that number jumped to 90% among women.
Meanwhile, 83% of women believe they need to be “more exceptional” than men to succeed, compared with just 28% of men. In 2006, 68% of women and 32% of men agreed with that view. The researchers state these findings are indicative that the “prove-it again” bias—in which women and people of color must provide more evidence of competence to be viewed equally as capable—has intensified.
Of the women surveyed, 37% believed promotion criteria are equal across genders, versus 70% of men. Even more, just 40% of women believe their company is a meritocracy compared to 76% of men.
The study further confirmed the double standard that men are promoted to senior-level roles based on the promise of their future, whereas women have to provide pristine records to make the cut.
According to the researchers, men attributed this to the demands of senior-level roles hindering the flexibility that parents of young children may want. Women, on the other hand, said the assumption was applied to women before they were asked.
While attitudes have improved since the first survey in 1965, the perception gap has widened. In recent years, political polarization has led to the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Lean In and McKinsey’s 2025 “Women in the Workplace” study found women were sponsored less often than men—and even when they had sponsors, they were promoted less frequently. The study also shows that for 11 consecutive years, women have been underrepresented at every level of the corporate pipeline. In senior leadership, women accounted for just 29% of C-Suite roles. And those women in senior level roles have struggled with higher rates of burnout, and a more difficult climb to the top.
