International Women’s Day 2025: How Companies Can Support Women’s Career Growth

International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the strength and ambition of women who have transformed career transitions into leadership opportunities. Whether shifting industries, stepping into executive roles, or overcoming professional setbacks, women around the world have used career changes to redefine their paths and break barriers. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the challenges women face in career transitions, highlight the journeys of powerful women, and explain how mentorship, lifelong learning, and a strong support system can empower women to excel.

While career transitions can be a powerful pathway to leadership, women continue to face significant barriers that make these shifts more complex. From underrepresentation in executive roles to workplace policies that fail to accommodate evolving career needs, the road to advancement often requires overcoming systemic obstacles.

One of the biggest challenges is underrepresentation in leadership. Despite making up a substantial portion of the workforce, women’s presence dwindles at higher levels of leadership. According to the Mckinsey 2024 Women in the Workplace Report, only 29 percent of C-suite positions are held by women, and only 7 percent by women of color. This disparity highlights the uphill battle many women face when seeking career growth and executive opportunities.

Another key hurdle is workplace flexibility. Many women leave their roles due to a lack of adaptable work environments, which are essential for balancing career aspirations with personal responsibilities. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, the labor force participation rate has been gradually declining over the last 20 years, dropping more drastically in the last four years from 58 percent to 57.6 percent.

Beyond structural barriers, women navigating career transitions often encounter biases in hiring and promotions, the need to reskill or adapt to new industries, and limited access to influential professional networks. These factors can make career shifts more daunting. But with the right strategies, such as mentorship, skill-building, and support systems, women can successfully pivot, break into, and thrive in leadership roles.

Here are five examples of women who have navigated career shifts to achieve success as CEOs, executives, and trailblazers.

Whitney Wolfe Herd’s career journey is a testament to turning adversity into opportunity. After co-founding Tinder, she left the company due to allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination, a move that put her in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Facing public scrutiny and industry backlash, she could have stepped away from the dating app space altogether. 

Instead, Wolfe Herd used her experience to create something better. With the launch of Bumble, she introduced a female-first model that gave women control over initiating conversations. Despite skepticism about whether this shift in dating culture would succeed, she stayed firm in her vision. 

Her ability to pivot professionally, rebuild her reputation, and expand Bumble into a broader networking platform for friendships and business connections highlights her resilience. In 2021, Wolfe Herd became the youngest woman to take a company public, proving that setbacks can be stepping stones to success.

Ursula Burns made history as the first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company when she became CEO of Xerox. She started at Xerox as an intern and climbed the ranks, proving her technical expertise while developing the business acumen needed for executive leadership. 

When Burns took the helm in 2009 during the financial crisis, the company was struggling to stay relevant. She spearheaded Xerox’s transformation from a hardware-focused business to a services-oriented company. 

Beyond her tenure at Xerox, Burns has continued to champion diversity in STEM and corporate leadership, ensuring that future generations would have more opportunities than she did.

Reshma Saujani started in law and politics, running for Congress in 2010. When she lost, she faced a pivotal moment: either stay in the political world or forge a new path. Instead of seeing failure as the end of her ambitions, she used it as a launchpad for something greater. During her campaign, she noticed how few girls were being encouraged to pursue STEM careers. 

This realization led her to create Girls Who Code, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology. Despite having no prior experience running a nonprofit or leading in the tech education space, Saujani built an organization that has now empowered hundreds of thousands of girls to develop coding skills.

Sara Blakey developed the idea for Spanx after cutting the feet off of her pantyhose to create a smoothing undergarment. When she pitched her idea to male investors, many dismissed it, failing to see the market potential. 

Undeterred, Blakely took matters into her own hands, personally selling Spanx to department stores and using creative marketing strategies to build her brand. Her ability to navigate rejection, adapt to the demands of entrepreneurship, and grow Spanx into a billion-dollar business showcases the importance of believing in oneself, even when the industry says no.

Kim Ng made history as the first female general manager in Major League Baseball when she was hired by the Miami Marlins in 2020. Ng started her career in baseball as an intern and worked her way up through various teams, demonstrating her expertise in player development and team strategy. 

For years, she was passed over for general manager positions, a reality many women in male-dominated industries face. But she remained persistent, proving her value time and again. When the Marlins finally gave her the opportunity, she led the team to its first playoff appearance in 17 years.

Looking to empower women in your organization? If you’re interested in learning more about our leadership coaching and development services, click below to connect with our experts and see if Careerminds is the right fit for your organization.

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For women to advance into leadership roles, they need access to opportunities that foster career mobility, strong mentorship, and robust support systems. These factors not only help women navigate career transitions, but also break down systemic barriers that often hinder their progress. 

Let’s discuss how you can incorporate more of these resources and opportunities into your organization to support your employees.

Career mobility enables women to gain the diverse experience needed to lead effectively. However, research shows that women are less likely than men to receive stretch assignments or be promoted at the same rate, particularly at critical career junctures. 

Companies can bridge this gap by:

• Offering leadership training programs that prepare women for executive roles.
• Creating clear career advancement paths with equitable promotion criteria.
• Encouraging internal mobility by supporting cross-functional experience and lateral moves that build leadership skills.

Mentorship and sponsorship play a crucial role in career advancement. Yet women, especially women of color, often lack access to influential mentors who can guide their professional growth. A strong mentorship culture can help women develop leadership confidence, expand their networks, and navigate workplace challenges. 

Companies can support this by:

• Establishing formal mentorship programs that connect women with senior leaders.
• Encouraging sponsorship, where executives actively advocate for women’s career growth.
• Building peer mentorship networks to foster community and knowledge sharing.

A supportive workplace environment is essential for women to thrive in leadership. Without policies that accommodate work-life balance and inclusive cultures that value diverse leadership styles, women may face higher attrition rates. 

Organizations can strengthen their support for women by:

• Implementing flexible work policies, such as remote work options and family-friendly benefits.
• Ensuring pay equity through regular compensation audits.
• Creating safe spaces for women to discuss challenges, share experiences, and receive guidance.

At Careerminds, we believe in empowering women through career transitions, whether they’re stepping into leadership, changing industries, or navigating setbacks. This International Women’s Day 2025, we celebrate the strength and vision of women leaders and remain committed to providing the guidance, mentorship, and support systems necessary for professional growth.

Here are the key takeaways:

• Women face unique career transition challenges, including underrepresentation in leadership, workplace inflexibility, and biases in hiring and promotions.
• Career shifts can lead to groundbreaking leadership roles, as seen in the success stories of Whitney Wolfe Herd, Ursula Burns, Reshma Saujani, Sara Blakely, and Kim Ng.
• Organizations play a crucial role in advancing women’s careers by promoting leadership training, equitable advancement opportunities, and sponsorship programs.
• Mentorship and sponsorship are key to career progression, helping women build confidence, expand networks, and gain access to leadership roles.
• Supportive workplace policies, such as flexible work arrangements, pay equity, and inclusive cultures, are essential for women to thrive in leadership.

If you’re interested in learning more about our leadership coaching and development services, click below to connect with our experts and see if Careerminds is the right fit for your organization.

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Cynthia Orduña

Cynthia Orduña is a Career and Business Coach with a background in recruiting, human resources, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has helped 50+ companies around the world hire and retain talent in cities like LA, SF, NY, Berlin, Tokyo, Sydney, and London. test She has also coached over 300 people, from entry to senior levels, in developing their one-of-a-kind career paths, Her work has been featured in publications such as Business Insider, The Balance Careers, The Zoe Report, and more. To learn more you can connect with Cynthia on LinkedIn.