Women in business continue to face a formidable gender gap in senior leadership positions, and while women make up a majority of entry-level employees, there are fewer and fewer on the path to the C-suite.

The barriers are well-known, according to an article published by McKinsey and Co., a global consulting firm. Barriers consist of a mix of cultural factors, ingrained mindsets and stubborn forms of behavior, including a tendency to tap a much narrower band of women leaders than is possible given the available talent pool.

So, what can business leaders look at to ensure that their companies are overcoming these barriers?

The author supplies five questions management can ask to help generate the kinds of challenging conversations executive teams need to have:

1. Where are the women in our talent pipeline?

Most senior executives know intuitively how many women do (or don’t) hold top leadership roles at their companies. But in the United States, surprisingly few of them keep precise track of how women do (or don’t) move through their talent pipelines – from entry all the way up to the top executive ranks. A clear picture is important.

2. What skills are we helping women build?

Many women’s programs focus on convening, creating and broadening networks. While these are important investments, they are insufficient. Companies should also instill the capabilities women need to thrive. Some of the most important are resilience, grit and confidence.

3. Do we provide sponsors along with role models?

Seeing female role models makes a huge difference to younger women. Research confirms this intuition. To go further, companies should focus on sponsorship, including the creation of opportunities.

4. Are we rooting out unconscious biases?

One of the biggest challenges exists squarely in the heads of employees: the unconscious biases that shadow women throughout their careers and can set them up for failure. Smart companies work hard to make unconscious biases more conscious and then to root them out so that they don’t affect the culture in wide-ranging and unhelpful ways.

5. How much are our policies helping?

Although the most stubborn barriers are inside the heads of employees, this isn’t to say that companies have exhausted the potential of corporate policy to effect change. Child-leave policies are one area ripe for improvement.

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