Quote · The Rest Is Politics: US
The Secret To Asking For A Pay Raise (Mika Brzezinski)
Where this was said
The Stats: How Much Work Remains
At 20:54 · chapter starts 19:35
Before turning to solutions, Katty grounds the conversation in hard data. [1] — Katty Kay "Only half of American businesses prioritise women's career progression. 20% actively place low or no priority on it — rising to 30% for wom…" 19:35 Only half of American businesses considered women's career progression a priority in 2025; 20% actively placed low or no priority on women's advancement, a figure that jumps to 30% for women of colour. Women are less likely to receive emotional support and only 50% report regular check-ins with their managers compared to men. Katty notes that knowing this — understanding the real-world landscape — actually makes the project of building confidence not softer but more urgent. The barriers are not imagined, and women need practical tools to navigate a genuinely unequal playing field.
Only half of American businesses prioritise women's career progression. 20% actively place low or no priority on it — rising to 30% for women of colour. 60% of women have never asked for a raise. These aren't feelings; they are the structural reality that makes confidence-building not optional but urgent.
20% of companies now place low or no priority on women's advancement, and that figure rises to 30% for women of color.
Only 50% of women report having regular check-ins with their managers, compared to higher rates for men, reflecting a structural support gap.
Women are conditioned to stay in their lane, follow the rules, and wait for opportunities to be handed to them. Mika doesn't know a single successful man who operates that way — and says the path forward is to make relationships, put yourself out there, and accept that failure is data.
