More women in consulting - Listen, learn and lead the change
This podcast series that amplifies the perspectives of women in the consulting industry. Through honest conversations and personal reflections, we explore what it takes to lead, connect, and thrive in a field still striving for gender balance.
Each episode dives into key topics such as parental leave, internal and external networking, and leadership — all through the lens of those navigating the consulting world as women and allies.
This series builds on the work of the More Women in Consulting initiative — a cross-company collaboration launched in 2020 under the Confederation of Danish Industry, which over several years has mapped key challenges and gathered concrete, actionable solutions to drive progress across the management consulting industry.
Each episode delves into themes such as leadership, networking, parental leave, and equal pay. Through in-depth conversations with industry professionals, we explore what’s working and what still needs to change.
The foundation of this podcast is the 2024 inspirational catalogue, which presents 8 key initiatives and concrete recommendations for improving gender equality in management consulting.
You can read it here: more-women-in-consulting_part2_web-opslagny.pdf
More women in consulting - Listen, learn and lead the change
The Invisible Load: Why Non-Promotable Work Holds Women Back
Why do women still earn less than men—even in high-performing, well-structured industries like consulting?
The gender pay gap doesn’t start at the top—it starts at the first assignment.
In this episode of More Women in Consulting, host Emily Christiansen is joined by world-renowned economist and author Professor Lise Vesterlund. Together, they unpack the hidden structures behind pay inequality and the invisible labor that silently stalls careers—particularly for women.
Lise is co-author of the bestselling book The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work, which has reshaped how leaders think about fairness, retention, and reward systems.
From organizing internal meetings and mentoring new hires to writing newsletters and sitting on committees, non-promotable tasks are critical to workplace functioning—but don’t lead to promotions, recognition, or raises. And women are asked to do them more. They also say yes more often. The cost? Less visibility, fewer opportunities, and persistent pay gaps.
Topics covered:
- What non-promotable work is—and why it matters more than you think
- How early career assignments shape long-term pay and promotion opportunities
- Why women say yes more often—and why organizations keep asking them
- What companies can do to fix the imbalance, from transparency to point systems
- Why this isn’t just about fairness—but about better business and leadership
This episode is a must-listen for anyone working in professional services—or anyone who’s ever wondered why doing “the right thing” often doesn’t get rewarded.
Tune in to understand how structural norms, workplace expectations, and subtle biases intersect—and what we can all do to build workplaces where everyone’s contribution truly counts.