--- title: 5 Myths About America’s Gender Gap description: From a new McKinsey report "The Power of Parity: Advancing Women's Equality in the United States" canonical: https://time.com/4283746/gender-gap-myths/ author: Kweilin Ellingrud article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-07T13:00:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:44:41.972Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Myths About America’s Gender Gap og:description: No, women do not work less og:url: https://time.com/4283746/gender-gap-myths/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9690a1d0a6399d/69888e135f570f0b66b205dc/mgi_genderinequalityus_animatedgif_ex3_v1.gif?branch=production&width=720&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 720 og:image:height: 405 og:image:alt: MGI_GenderInequalityUS_AnimatedGif_ex3_v1 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Myths About America’s Gender Gap twitter:description: No, women do not work less twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9690a1d0a6399d/69888e135f570f0b66b205dc/mgi_genderinequalityus_animatedgif_ex3_v1.gif?branch=production&width=720&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Myths About America’s Gender Gap > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=768b181a-9f56-46f1-aac6-e98117d26f9a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=768b181a-9f56-46f1-aac6-e98117d26f9a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=768b181a-9f56-46f1-aac6-e98117d26f9a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=768b181a-9f56-46f1-aac6-e98117d26f9a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Gender Equality At Work? Check Back In 100 Years [Watch (HLS stream): Gender Equality At Work? Check Back In 100 Years](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hxKoR0Ut.m3u8) (1:24)  _Published 2015-09-30. A new study says there are still few women in chief corporate positions. So what has to give, and when will things change?_ by [Kweilin Ellingrud](https://time.com/author/kweilin-ellingrud/) and [Vivian Riefberg](https://time.com/author/vivian-riefberg/) Ellingrud is a director of the McKinsey Global Institute and leads diversity and inclusion for McKinsey globally. Apr 7, 2016 1:00 PM UTC  by [Kweilin Ellingrud](https://time.com/author/kweilin-ellingrud/) and [Vivian Riefberg](https://time.com/author/vivian-riefberg/) Ellingrud is a director of the McKinsey Global Institute and leads diversity and inclusion for McKinsey globally. Apr 7, 2016 1:00 PM UTC Indeed, women make up 46% of the labor force. But on closer inspection, significant inequality still remains, and it has huge economic costs. As we outline in our new report “[The Power of Parity: Advancing Women’s Equality in the United States](http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/employment-and-growth/The-power-of-parity-Advancing-womens-equality-in-the-United-States),” furthering women’s equality in the workplace could add $2.1 trillion to GDP in the next decade, or 1% to annual GDP growth in the U.S. That’s 10% higher than the business as usual figure in 2025, and the equivalent of adding an economy the size of Texas. So how are perceptions of the U.S. and gender so off the mark? **1\. Gender inequality is not a big issue for developed countries like the U.S.** To the contrary: The U.S. has made major progress on some aspects of gender inequality, but inequality remains high or extremely high on six out of 10 indicators studied by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). First is women in leadership and managerial positions: There are just 66 women for every 100 men in such posts. Second is the fact that women do almost double the unpaid care work that men do. Violence against women is a third—there is one incident of sexual violence for every two women. The U.S. is one of the worst-performing developed nations in the world on the fourth indicator—the representation of women in politics. The fifth and sixth indicators are single mothers and teenage pregnancy—issues that often hold women back from achieving their full economic potential. One in four U.S. families is headed by a single mother living in poverty according to the OECD, and, according to one study, the high teen birth rate is estimated to have cost U.S. taxpayers between $9.4 and $28 billion a year through public assistance payments, lost tax revenue and greater expenditures for public health care, foster care and criminal justice services. **2\. The economic opportunity is all about getting more women in the workforce**. Most studies of the economic opportunity on closing the gender gap in work focus on labor force participation. We found that this drives only 40% of the total opportunity, and that two other important factors each drive 30% of the economic potential: the mix of part-time and full-time work undertaken by men and women, and the sectors where the two sexes are employed. On average, a woman in the U.S. does 42% of the full-time jobs and 64% of the part-time jobs. On top of this, women are more likely than men to be working in lower-productivity sectors such as health, social work and education, and less likely to be employed in higher-productivity sectors such as manufacturing and business services. Narrowing gender gaps in all three aspects add up to the $2.1 trillion of additional GDP. **3\. Women work less than men**. The reality is that women work about the same amount as men. This is because they do about double the amount of unpaid work as men—roughly 70% of it in routine household chores such as laundry or shopping for groceries, and the rest primarily in caring for children and the elderly. This work is not measured in GDP data but, using conservative assumptions based on the minimum wage, this contribution is worth an estimated $1.5 trillion a year in the U.S. **4\. More women working will crowd out men**. A perennial worry is that if more women work for wages, men will find fewer employment opportunitiesor will be forced to spend less time in paid work because they have to devote more time on unpaid household work. But experience tells us otherwise. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the participation of women of prime age in the U.S. labor force increased from 36% in 1950 to 76% in 2000—but the participation of men remained over 90% throughout this period. Achieving the $2.1 trillion incremental GDP opportunity in 2025 would mean that women spend, on average, 35 minutes more per day on paid work based on a 10-hour work day. This increase in hours worked by women could be achieved by men allocating more of their leisure time to helping out around the house. Men, on average, spend about one hour more each day on leisure activities than women do. ### Life Before Equal Pay Day: Portrait of a Working Mother in the 1950s  Jennie Magill with her family in the background. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Working mother Jennie Magill shopping with her children at the super market. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie and Jim Magill in the kitchen. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill and family in the kitchen. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Wifely kiss is Jim's reward for helping with the dishes. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill at work. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Companionable lunch with the girls from store is lots better, says Jennie, than a sandwich in solitude at home. "Through Jennie's friends at work," says Jim, "I've met a lot of people I wouldn't have met otherwise." Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Her work is a source of pride to Jim. "She' has done a terrific job. And when I tell her about my work she doesn't brush it off." Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Going home, Jim always picks Jennie up at Carson Pirie Scott branch. The ride home is a chance to talk without domestic distractions. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie and Jim Magill coming home from work. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Taking over the family reins when she gets home, Jennie holds Jackie, 2, who tests cake which he "helped" housekeeper Sophia Flewelling (left) to bake. Sophie runs household smoothly while parents are gone. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill and family. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill ironing with her daughter. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill with her children. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill comforting her crying daughter. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill with her children. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill reading a story to her children. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Bill-paying is disagreeable, but it reminds them of how well they live because Jennie works. "It's nice not to have that lost feeling," says Jim. "Now when we see a piece of furniture we want, we buy it." Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jennie Magill kisses her children goodbye. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images **5\. Gender inequality is concentrated in particular parts of the nation.** There is some regional concentration, but the fact is that gender inequality is a national issue—and a national opportunity. There is some regional concentration. Ten of the 12 southern U.S. states appear in the bottom quartile of scores on teenage pregnancy and single mothers, and eight of the 12 on political representation. On four of the six indicators on which inequality is high or extremely high, 10 states account for more than half of the women affected. But the fact is that gender inequality is a national issue—and a national opportunity. Narrowing gender gaps could add 5% to the 2025 GDP of every state, and 25 states could boost their GDP by 10% or more. So how can gender parity become a reality in the U.S.? Businesses can promote gender diversity in recruitment, performance evaluation and by introducing flexible work arrangements. Governments can consider ways to make paid parental leave and improved child care a reality for more men and women, and can introduce state- and city-level programs to reduce single mothers living in poverty. More cross-sector collaboration between governments, businesses and non-profits is needed. Change is often gradual, but given the size of the gender parity prize, closing the gap in work and society is well worth the effort. ## Transcript [00:00] It turns out corporate America looks just about the [00:02] same as it did this time three years ago. Men [00:05] dominating at the very top, and women struggling [00:07] behind. And according to a new study, it could take [00:10] more than 100 years until we see as many ladies in [00:13] chief corporate positions as the guys. The study, [00:16] conducted by McKinsey & Company, and Leanin. org, [00:19] measured women's roles in the workforce, and how [00:21] likely they were to make it to the top. The results were [00:24] pretty dismal. The data was collected from 118 North [00:27] American companies and nearly 30, 000 male and [00:30] female workers. Researchers measured: Promotion [00:33] rates, attrition and trajectories. The numbers indicate [00:36] little progress has been made in recent years to level [00:39] the playing field. In 2012, 16 % of executives were [00:43] women. Today that number is 17 %.. That's likely [00:46] because men move up the ranks more easily. Women [00:49] in the study reported they're nearly four times more [00:51] likely than men to think they have fewer opportunities [00:54] to advance because of gender If you ask men why they [00:57] did a good job, they'll say I'm awesome. If you ask, [01:02] obviously why are you even asking? If you ask women [01:05] why they did a good job, what they'll say is someone [01:08] helped them, they got lucky, they worked really hard. [01:10] But that hard work is less likely to be rewarded. [01:13] Women are 15 % less likely than men to win a [01:16] promotion to the next level. The study also shows [01:19] women are more likely that men to stay with a [01:21] company after reaching a senior manager position. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4283746/gender-gap-myths/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4283746/gender-gap-myths/"},"headline":"5 Myths About America’s Gender Gap","datePublished":"2016-04-07T13:00:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:44:41.972Z","description":"No, women do not work less","url":"https://time.com/4283746/gender-gap-myths/","keywords":["Equal Pay","gender","politics","Business topic","wage gap"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9690a1d0a6399d/69888e135f570f0b66b205dc/mgi_genderinequalityus_animatedgif_ex3_v1.gif?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kweilin Ellingrud","jobTitle":"Ellingrud is a director of the McKinsey Global Institute and leads diversity and inclusion for McKinsey globally.","url":"https://time.com/author/kweilin-ellingrud/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Vivian Riefberg","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/vivian-riefberg/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9690a1d0a6399d/69888e135f570f0b66b205dc/mgi_genderinequalityus_animatedgif_ex3_v1.gif?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"MGI_GenderInequalityUS_AnimatedGif_ex3_v1","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/equal-pay/","name":"Equal Pay"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4283746/gender-gap-myths/","name":"5 Myths About America’s Gender Gap"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Gender Equality At Work? Check Back In 100 Years","description":"A new study says there are still few women in chief corporate positions. So what has to give, and when will things change?","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/hxKoR0Ut/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-09-30T17:31:39.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hxKoR0Ut.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4283746/gender-gap-myths/","duration":"PT1M24S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4283746/gender-gap-myths/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```