“Corporate America is not on a path to gender equality,” according to a new report prepared by Lean In and McKinsey & Co. “Women are still underrepresented at every level in the corporate pipeline,” it says, and they're leaving companies at higher rates than their male counterparts due to family commitments.

Writing about the study in Epstein Becker & Green's Women's Initiative blog, Wendy Marcari notes it's in the C-suite and senior levels of leadership where the disparity is most noticeable. She says a “leadership ambition gap” stifles women from taking on greater roles, which they find “disproportionately stressful,” as opposed to men. They are also four times more likely to perceive fewer opportunities at work due to their gender.

“In addition, while a majority of companies offer flexibility and career development programs, many women and men are not using them, out of fear of being penalized,” she says, with 90 percent of both women and men believing an extended family leave will hurt their careers.