©$year Pivotal Ventures
Pivotal has focused on helping women reach their full potential at work for many years. In 2024, in response to new data about barriers that prevent women from advancing in their careers, Melinda French Gates announced $150 million in additional funding to break down those barriers to create transformative opportunities for women. We are backing both new ideas and proven approaches to help everyone succeed in the workplace of the future.
We can build better workplaces for all people by addressing the needs of women.
Flexible Workplaces:
One-third of women say that the hours required to advance at work conflict with other priorities.
Caregiving Support:
42% of women who voluntarily left the workforce in 2025 cited caregiving responsibilities as the main factor in their decision.
Physical Safety:
One in five women aged 18-24 say sexual harassment is their biggest career barrier.
Inclusive Attitudes:
More than one-quarter of men believe that men are better suited than women to be senior business leaders.
Health:
More than 40% of women said their health had limited their careers in some way.
There are proven approaches that support women to stay in their jobs, thrive at work, and advance in their careers. Through the Aspen Institute’s WIN Challenge, we are providing resources to scale innovative, evidence-based solutions that will help everyone—and especially women—succeed in the rapidly changing workplace.
Public policy is a powerful tool for establishing new workplace standards, protections, and norms that remove barriers for women. Our partners, including the Bipartisan Policy Center and its Commission on the American Workforce, help identify strong policies and make sure people know about and can take full advantage of them.
The number of women graduating with computing degrees has doubled over the last decade, but women continue to be underrepresented in the tech workforce, from the entry level all the way up to the C-suite. As AI accelerates the pace of change, partners like Break Through Tech find opportunities to help women enter tech with the skills they need, build healthier workplaces, and progress in their careers.
Social scientist Iris Bohnet reveals an important truth: Fairness in the workplace doesn’t come from encouraging good intentions but from building better systems. When organizations embed equitable practices into hiring, promotions, performance reviews, and pay—and identify the points where bias blocks progress—they’ll see greater loyalty and better work.
Pivotal partners share what people need from their workplaces: to be heard, respected, and able to contribute to their fullest potential. When employers design organizations around the real lives women lead, they make work better for everyone.
