women are making gains, the rate of progress varies by geography. Africa leads the way with nearly 40% of senior management positions held by women. At the same time, Asia Pacific (APAC) lags with 27% of senior management jobs held by women, and North America faring only slightly better at 29%.

Representation of diversity in all its forms matters.

Our firm will always champion and enable our clients to achieve diverse teams, but it's time to do more than review workforce demographics every quarter. We need to ask different questions so that we can achieve better outcomes.

For Women's History Month, we propose evaluating how well women are thriving in your organization. Here are a few questions to get you started.

Is she safe to shine?

Like other underrepresented and marginalized groups, women often find they have to straddle two worlds – two standards of what is considered acceptable behavior. One study reported that women have to counteract being viewed as too feminine to be competent and too masculine to be likable. When women do not act as others expect them to, they experience backlash and are labeled as angry, unapproachable or too aggressive.

Is she staffed properly?

Women are over-represented in support and administrative positions, which tend to be individual contributor positions without significant P&L responsibilities. Staffing levels in support functions are often the first to be cut and the last to regain headcount. A female regional manager once shared that her team was cut by 50% when the firm tightened its staffing belts. A year later, her drastically smaller team is leading half of the top 10 customer engagement initiatives company-wide. Women and people of color are habitually the "workhorses" in organizations – given less people and budget resources but responsible for significant organizational contributions. Despite consistently facing and overcoming these challenges, women are less likely to be considered for promotion to management levels. McKinsey's Women in the Workplace study found that for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 85 women were promoted—and this gap is more prominent for Black women and Latinas.

Is she salaried equitably?

For too long, women have earned less than men for similar work. In the U.S., the pay disparity continues to hover around 82 cents for every one dollar a man earns. Black women and Latinas' pay gaps persist at staggering levels – 62 cents and 54 cents, respectively. Perhaps even more alarming, women hold nearly two-thirds of the nation's $1.54 trillion in student loan debt. This economic inequality creates long-term issues during retirement years, especially since women tend to live longer than men.

Is she supported holistically?

Working mothers have always carried the burden of working "two jobs" or an "unpaid night shift." While women still carry most caregiving and daily household upkeep responsibilities, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought many women to the brink with the additional burden of being a new homeschool teacher. Some employers are offering extra mental health resources to support workers during these unprecedented times, however, more support is needed. According to a study by McKinsey, nearly 2 million women are contemplating leaving the workplace due to the pressures from the pandemic.

Is she sponsored courageously?

For years, women have been told to find a mentor if they want to advance their careers. Many companies have instituted mentoring circles and formal one-on-one mentoring programs. Still, as one client confided, after decades of mentoring programs, they recognize that the diversity of leadership is still not where it needs to be. Mentoring is not enough, especially when women face discriminatory treatment. One study  evaluating biases women in STEM positions face found that two-thirds of women have to prove their worth and capability over and over again – their successes discounted, their expertise questioned.

Is she set-up for success?

Research indicates that women leaders often possess the characteristics needed to address future global challenges successfully. However, time and again, we see women and people of color expected to conform to a traditionally white male definition of leadership. In the words of one of our female executive coaching clients, "If you act pretty much the same but look different, then that's okay. If you look the same but act differently, that's okay." The message is clear: either conform to what we expect or be ostracized.

Remember the regional manager we discussed who is leading half of all initiatives that drive customer engagement? Well, her story is not unusual. Our team has coached hundreds of women (as well as people of color) in similar situations. These stories are important because they illustrate the gaps that still exist and challenge us to do better.

Status quo diversity and inclusion efforts alone will not move the needle significantly. Countless research, and perhaps your internal data, show that there is much we still need to do. As we shared during a session on Culturally Intelligent Leadership Development, we need to transform the way we develop leaders. It's time to infuse a DEI lens into the way we identify, evaluate and develop talent. This approach requires cultural competence and agility on an organizational level.

It's time to ask serious questions and take strategic and swift action. We can't change the past, but we can build a more equitable and diverse future together.