Inside the "Great Breakup," and what it means for the women who stay
Back in 2022, when Lean In and McKinsey coined the term "Great Breakup," for every woman director who was promoted, two more were leaving their companies. Those departures did not mean these women were pulling out of paid work entirely. They were leaving the building, carrying their badge and their institutional memory, for every one the company advanced.
What makes it distinctive
Reaching director is the rung where you expect the toughest climb to be finished. Early career, you pushed through the stretch of parental-leave calculations and the boss who figured you were the assistant. Still, you secured both the official title and real control over spending. That is exactly the level where women were leaving at twice the rate they were being promoted. Leaks were not appearing at the entry levels, where the pipeline begins. It was draining at the point where the company had already invested the most to fill it.
Where the number comes from, and how far it can be trusted
The figure comes from the 2022 edition of Women in the Workplace, the yearly study by Lean In and McKinsey, and was widely covered, including by Katie Couric Media. Its boundaries matter. It captures one year's proportion, based on organizations that chose to participate, which skew toward large American employers. "Leaving" here refers to exiting one specific company, not walking away from the corporate world. Some of those directors took a better director post down the street, a gain for them and a loss only for the firm that let them go. The 2025 edition shows the underlying pattern has not been fixed. Among every 100 men advanced to manager, 93 women are, and among women of color, the figure drops to 74. Eighty percent of women say they want promotion, compared with 86 percent of men, and that gap closes when support is equal. The ambition is present. Support is the deciding factor.
Consider what it feels like from within
Your title is director. In the last year and a half, two of the four women who share your level have departed. One accepted a bigger role at a rival firm. Another launched her own venture. During the leadership retreat, the chief people officer presents a chart on staff retention without ever mentioning those two names. Looking around, you see that you now hold the highest seniority among the women present, and no one has inquired what it would take to hold on to you.
What the exits mean for those who remain
Remaining put after a string of exits does not automatically count as the cautious choice. You are, without having planned it, already bargaining. Having just seen its investment leave, the company understands the next departure could be yours. That hands you bargaining power, but that power will not last indefinitely. A year from now the departures are old news, and your staying has been filed as loyalty, the cheapest thing a company can get.
Additionally, it means that more of the workload has fallen to you. With fewer senior women around, there are more panels, more mentoring requests, more "could you sit in on this." None of it counts toward promotion, and all of it now belongs to you.
What comes after
Start the retention conversation the company should have begun already. Bring it up now, during this month, instead of holding off until the next quarter. Try phrasing it along these lines: "Two of my peers have left this year. I want to stay. What does my next role look like, and by when? A company intent on keeping you will name a specific role and a specific date. A company that is not will respond with compliments instead. Both answers tell you something, yet only one of them spares you from losing another year.
If your company has seen women directors depart this year, has anybody encouraged you to remain?