Sexism in the workplace is worse than you thought

Just as women are paid less than men for the same positions, women are less likely to be promoted, according to a new workplace study.

A survey by consultancy McKinsey and Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg's LeanIn.org group found that men are 30% more likely than women to be promoted from entry level to manager.

The result is a workforce with a nearly equal number of women and men at the entry level, but a widening gap as workers climb the ranks.

At the entry level, 54% are men and 46% are women. But at the manager level, 63% are men and 37% are women, and at the vice-president level 71% are men and 29% are women.

By the time they reach the C-suite — which includes positions like chief financial officer and chief operating officer — 81% are men and 19% are women. Representation is even worse for women of color, according to the study.

"We really see that women are hitting the glass ceiling earlier than you expect," LeanIn.org President Rachel Thomas said in an interview. "Women’s promotion rates still lag behind those of men."

The study examined human resources data from 132 companies employing more than 4.6 million people and included a survey of more than 34,000 workers.

Thomas said companies can begin to make progress by auditing their own hiring data and ensuring that diverse hiring priorities are implemented and not just rhetoric.

The study uncovered a few key reasons why women aren't advancing as quickly as men:

► They are more likely to be ignored at meetings, with 74% of men "able to participate meaningfully" and 67% of women.

► They are less likely to get challenging assignments. Some 68% of men have taken on the toughest tasks, compared to 62% for women.

► They are less likely to be consulted for input on important decisions, with 63% of men being asked to share their thoughts and 56% of women.

Despite a few percentage points of improvement in this year's numbers, the study "clearly shows that women face an uneven playing field," Thomas said.

Taken together, those slights led to a disadvantage for women in the rise to power.

There's another subtle factor at play: Inequality at home.

For women who share housework equally with a partner, 43% aspire to become a senior executive at their job. But only 34% of women who do a majority of the housework aspire to be a senior executive.

There is an ambition gap, according to the study, which found that 80% of men desire a promotion, compared to 74% for women. Overall, 56% of men say they aspire to become a top executive. By contrast, some 40% of women do desire the same goal.

Women aren't able to have the same access to senior leaders. "You get less of the critical input that helps you improve your performance, you get less credit for your ideas. It’s not surprising that you’re less optimistic about becoming a senior executive and less interested in it," Thomas said.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.