Building Experience Capital for Women's Career Growth

How gaining the right on-the-job exposure can shape leadership potential and close gender gaps in professional advancement

What is Experience Capital and Why Does It Matter for Women?

In recent years, the term experience capital has entered the conversation around gender equity in the workplace. Coined in business and behavioral science circles, experience capital refers to the cumulative value of high-impact tasks, leadership roles, decision-making exposure, and skill-building assignments accrued over time—assets often required for career progression but not always equally distributed.

Despite widespread attention to gender representation, a 2023 McKinsey & Company report on Women in the Workplace shows that women remain underrepresented in leadership, with only 28% of C-suite roles held by women—a number that drops significantly for women of color. While mentorship and sponsorship are vital, the missing link often lies in access to the type of experience that builds credibility and capability at scale.

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How Can Women Gain Access to High-Impact Work Opportunities?

According to Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School, "Leadership development is less about planning your next job and more about stretching yourself in your current one". For many women, getting on-the-job opportunities that stretch capabilities—leading a product launch, handling a crisis, overseeing a cross-functional team—requires visibility and advocacy.

Key strategies include:

Volunteer for stretch assignments: These are often stepping stones to executive roles. Women should proactively raise their hands for high-risk, high-reward tasks.

Track and document wins: Keeping a living portfolio of projects, outcomes, and impact helps in performance reviews and promotion cycles.

Seek internal mobility: Rotational programs or temporary assignments in different departments can build diverse skillsets and strategic understanding.

According to a LinkedIn study, employees who engage in cross-functional projects are 20% more likely to be promoted within two years.

What Are the Systemic Barriers to Experience Capital for Women?

Despite intentions toward equity, women often receive less access to high-stakes assignments. A study published by the Harvard Business Review found that men are 23% more likely than women to receive actionable feedback tied to business outcomes—feedback crucial for career development.

Other structural issues include:

Gendered assumptions about risk-taking or assertiveness
Bias in performance reviews focusing more on style than substance
Lack of sponsorship from leaders in decision-making positions

Fixing this means organizations must move beyond counting diversity and focus on distributing opportunity.

How Can Organizations Promote Experience Capital for Women?

Companies serious about women’s leadership development should build deliberate pathways to experience capital:

Sponsorship programs: Formal or informal, these help high-potential women gain access to decision-makers who can recommend them for growth roles.

Bias training for managers: Awareness of how unconscious bias affects assignment allocation is critical.

Transparent criteria for assignments: Ensures high-visibility projects aren’t distributed based on informal networks.

A report by Catalyst found that companies with the highest representation of women in executive committees had a 34% higher total return to shareholders compared to those with the lowest representation.

What Role Do Networks and Peer Communities Play?

Building experience capital isn’t just about access from above—it also grows laterally through peer networks and communities. Joining professional organizations such as Chief, Ellevate Network, or Lean In Circles can provide:

Mentorship outside one's company
Peer accountability on goals
Exposure to diverse career trajectories

McKinsey’s research shows that women with strong networks are twice as likely to achieve senior leadership roles than those without them.

Conclusion: Building Experience Capital Is a Joint Responsibility

For women to reach parity in leadership, they must be given—and must claim—more opportunities that cultivate experience capital. While individual initiative is essential, systemic barriers must also be addressed by organizations. The path to gender equity in the workplace isn’t paved only by intention but by targeted experience.