BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: The Broken Rung: When the Career Ladder Breaks for Women – and How They Can Succeed in Spite of It
Author: Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez
Publisher: HBR Press
List Price: $32.00
Format: Hardcover, 267 pages
Publication Date: March 2025
ISBN: 9781647827182
Reviewer: Carla Costa, PMP
Review Date: April 2025
Introduction
There are books that inform, and then there are books that feel like they were written about your own life. The Broken Rung: When the Career Ladder Breaks for Women and How They Can Succeed in Spite of It, by McKinsey senior partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez, is the latter. Published in March 2025 by Harvard Business Review Press, this 267-page hardcover draws on more than a decade of rigorous McKinsey research, interviews with over 50 remarkable leaders, and the authors’ own experiences at the highest levels of global consulting. The result is a timely, data-rich, and deeply humane examination of why women, who excel in education and early career performance, consistently fall behind once they enter the workforce.
As a woman who has navigated professional challenges since before entering college in 1996, I found this book both validating and energizing. The central phenomenon the authors identify, the “broken rung,” the critical first step from individual contributor to manager where women lose ground they never fully recover, is something I and countless women around me have lived. This book finally names it, quantifies it, and most importantly, offers a clear-eyed roadmap for what women and organizations can do about it.
Overview of Book’s Structure
The Broken Rung is organized around a single, powerful concept: experience capital. The authors argue that while roughly half of a person’s lifetime earnings come from education and half from work experience, men and women do not accumulate this experience capital at the same rate. The book systematically explores why that gap exists and how women can close it, weaving together McKinsey data, economic research, and the candid stories of leaders who have navigated the broken rung themselves.
The book opens by defining the broken rung phenomenon: for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women receive the same promotion. This is not a glass-ceiling problem occurring at the top, it is a ground-floor crisis. The authors then build their case through thematic chapters covering key topics: how to choose the right boss and organization when starting out; why frequent, intentional job moves (both internal and external) are essential to building experience capital; how to close the gender technology gap; the ways in which bias operates and can be turned to a woman’s advantage; and the complex relationship between motherhood and career trajectory.
Throughout, the authors balance systemic analysis with individual agency. They are unflinching in their diagnosis of structural inequality, the gender wage gap, the gender wealth gap, and the gender health gap are all examined through fresh data, but they do not leave readers helpless. Each chapter ends with actionable strategies women can apply immediately, without waiting for their organizations to change. The final sections pivot to a message for leaders and companies: the broken rung is not only a moral problem but a business one, and organizations that repair it will outperform those that do not.
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How to cite this work: Costa, C. (2025). The Broken Rung: When the Career Ladder Breaks for Women – and How They Can Succeed in Spite of It, book review, PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue IV, April. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/pmwj163-Apr2026-Costa-Broken-Rung-book-review.pdf
About the Reviewer
Carla Costa
USA and Brazil
Carla Costa is a PMI Dallas Chapter member and volunteer as Director of Content. She is a Multilingual Product & Business Development Leader with 15+ years of experience driving enterprise revenue, digital transformation, and product adoption across North America and LATAM. Specialized in SaaS, SDLC, ITSM, and Agile methodologies, with a strong track record of delivering CX/UX products. Carla has proven success in go-to-market strategy, cross-functional alignment, and executive stakeholder management. She holds PMP, CSPO, PMC, and ICP-ACC certifications and is a Student of AI. She has been an advocate for women in the workplace throughout her career, beginning with her own professional journey since the mid-1990s. She can be reached at cacosta26us@yahoo.com – LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carlacostapereira
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