Employee Reviews
(Winged ratings measure job satisfaction on scale of 1 to 5)
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Jan 4th, 2022
"It's set up for you if you have multiple children. Other than that, you as a constituency do NOT EXIST."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve my compensation"
Position or Department
Foreign Service Officer, Strategy & Business Development
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"Yes"
12 Weeks Paid | 24 Weeks Unpaid
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Which benefits are offered?
Parental leave, Pension, Health care
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Apr 14th, 2021
"Would really think through the pros and cons before signing the agreement."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve work-life balance and policies (e.g. flex-time, limit face time)"
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"No / Unsure"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"No"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Which benefits are offered?
Pension, Health care
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Nov 3rd, 2020
"Compensation is not fair and based on who you know. There is nothing in place to rectify compensation issues "
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve my compensation"
Recent Salary
$25k-$50k
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"No / Unsure"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"No"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Which benefits are offered?
Pension, Health care
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Nov 3rd, 2020
"Difficult life long term - its not just a job, but a life-style."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve work-life balance and policies (e.g. flex-time, limit face time)"
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"Yes"
6 Weeks Paid | 6 Weeks Unpaid
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Which benefits are offered?
Parental leave, Pension, Childcare, Health care
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Aug 20th, 2019
"Great place to work, some institutional hurdles left to overcome but bureau I worked in was headed by a woman, and women were in several leadership positions. Dress is not equal, however; women dress much more conservatively"
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Position or Department
Intern, Research & Development
Recent Salary
$0-$25k
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Hours, Policies, Culture
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"No / Unsure"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Which benefits are offered?
Parental leave, Health care, Childcare, Pension
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Aug 7th, 2019
"If you are a foreign policy wonk and you can get into the State Department, do it. It will be the experience of a lifetime. However, be prepared for the male-dominated culture and possibly to have to make a career jump somewhere else, if you get stuck."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Position or Department
Senior Advisor, International
Recent Salary
$80k-$100k
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"No / Unsure"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Which benefits are offered?
Pension, Health care
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Jul 5th, 2019
"The State Department is woman friendly and has great women focused think-tanks and working groups to better the overall culture, but it still lacks real maternity leave, good work-life balance in most jobs, and has trouble understanding non-traditional families (i.e. working mother, stay at home father)."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve work-life balance and policies (e.g. flex-time, limit face time)"
Position or Department
Administrative
Recent Salary
$50k-$80k
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Culture, Policies
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"No / Unsure"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Which benefits are offered?
Pension, Health care
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Jul 3rd, 2019
"Great intern experience. Opportunity to learn and network throughout departments, informative events about the State Department and jobs in it, as well as fun events around D.C."
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Not much; it's a great place to work"
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Hours, Culture
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"No / Unsure"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State, United States on Apr 30th, 2019
"much angst due to financial ups and downs in the company and industry
"
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Policies
Is paid parental leave offered, and if so, how much?
"No / Unsure"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"No"
How supportive is your manager?
1
2
3
4
5
Which benefits are offered?
Parental leave, Health care, Pension
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Mar 21st, 2019
"Old school male-dominated state department politics still lurking, especially in the foreign service where it’s mainly male diplomats and trailing spouses. "
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve my benefits (e.g. medical, maternity)"
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Hours
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"No"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Oct 19th, 2018
"Please give great consideration to what aspects of your everyday life are important to you before working for the Department. "
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve work-life balance and policies (e.g. flex-time, limit face time)"
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
"In my experience, there is more flexibility for families than for single women in particular. It's very difficult for women to date within the Department of State because men tend to find spouses in various countries instead of among their peers. While the diversity is not a bad thing, it simply limits the social abilities of single women severely. Additionally, leave times, work hours, and commissary hours, in some countries, limit the ability to do everyday tasks for single women. Single women are encouraged to take leave at different times than families, who ask for the major holidays and summers off."
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Policies
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"No"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Oct 15th, 2018
"Be careful and document everything. Understand that this is like high school and gossip determines your career."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Other"
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"No"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Mar 19th, 2018
"it's a good way to start a career and lots of learning opportunity"
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve my compensation"
Recent Salary
$25k-$50k
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Hours
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Mar 12th, 2018
"You still need a thick skin, but there are great opportunities to do great work. Moving often can be difficult for relationships, but that's true for men and women."
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve work-life balance and policies (e.g. flex-time, limit face time)"
Recent Salary
>$150k
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
"We've improved a great deal over the past three decades, but still have far to go. One of the best things is the degree of independence given to most employees early in their careers."
Did you take Maternity leave?
"Yes"
4 Weeks Paid | 32 Weeks Unpaid
"We only get paid sick leave or annual leave, not "maternity" leave. I was able to take considerable time though with some flexible accommodation of leave without pay."
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Nov 17th, 2017
"Don't take this job if you want both a family and respect"
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve work-life balance and policies (e.g. flex-time, limit face time)"
Position or Department
International
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$0
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
"federal government does not have maternity leave"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Jul 23rd, 2017
"Be prepared if you work with Diplomatic Security to be surrounded by men."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Does the CEO support gender diversity?
"Not sure"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Position or Department
Analyst, Legal
Recent Salary
$50k-$80k
Recent Bonus
$0-$10k
Level of Flexibility
1
2
3
4
5
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Culture, Hours
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Jul 20th, 2016
"Know that things will be harder for you. Its not equitable and not everyone cares to fix this or address. Oftentimes you will suffer on your own. There is a culture of avoidance. "
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Other"
Position or Department
Foreign Service Officer
Recent Salary
$50k-$80k
Recent Bonus
$0
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Culture, Hours
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 23rd, 2016
"The DOS still has a culture of working long hours and having the job, not your family, be the priority. It is incredibly difficult, even as a single woman, to work the hours required to be considered a good employee."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve work-life balance and policies (e.g. flex-time, limit face time)"
Recent Salary
$50k-$80k
Recent Bonus
$0
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Policies
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"No"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 6th, 2016
"I love my job but there is a "good ol boys club" culture than remains in the 1950's."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Position or Department
Diplomat, Usaid
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$20k-$50k
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 6th, 2016
"The work is interesting and there are some great people in the organisation but culturally it's behind the times. "
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Recent Salary
$80k-$100k
Recent Bonus
$0
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 6th, 2016
"Life overseas can be very lonely for women who do not have a family or partner with them. Not only is embassy work tough and long hours (and often teeming with gender bias), local culture in other countries is often hostile to solo women, or much more sexist than in the U.S."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Recent Salary
$80k-$100k
Recent Bonus
$0
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 5th, 2016
"This was a wonderful place to intern and learn from other successful women."
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve my compensation"
Position or Department
Intern
Recent Salary
$25k-$50k
Recent Bonus
$0
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Policies, Culture, Hours
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 5th, 2016
"Do not be afraid of "being that woman" who calls out inappropriate behavior or blatant sexism. "
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Position or Department
Diplomatic Security
Recent Salary
$80k-$100k
Recent Bonus
$0
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Hours
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"No"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 5th, 2016
"The benefits - free housing overseas, relative job security, meaningful work in interesting places, a pension after twenty years of service - are solid. "
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve work-life balance and policies (e.g. flex-time, limit face time)"
Recent Salary
$80k-$100k
Recent Bonus
$0
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Policies
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 5th, 2016
"Things are pretty equitable in terms of opportunities if you are not pregnant, but maternity leave and lactation time are the absolute pits. I have not had kids and seeing other peoples' experiences makes me think twice about sticking with this job."
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Improve my benefits (e.g. medical, maternity)"
Recent Salary
$50k-$80k
Recent Bonus
$0
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Hours
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 5th, 2016
"It's a bureacracy, which means you are going to be burdened running your work past a lot of "stakeholders" with "equities" in your "initiatives." Good ideas often get flattened in the process of review by committee. But there are some good offices and good projects."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Position or Department
Foreign Service Officer
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$0
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on May 4th, 2016
"There is still an entrenched old boys network, however, things are changing, albeit ever so slowly."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$0-$10k
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Apr 3rd, 2016
"Very equitable work place"
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
One thing United States Department of State can improve?
"Promote more women into leadership positions"
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$0
Work-Life Friendly Attributes:
Hours
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Mar 21st, 2016
"Practically, the Foreign Service is a good job. The USG pays for your housing, utilities, and moves your stuff around for you. But day-to-day all depends on your boss and the leadership in your Embassy. While women are represented in all roles, their ideas are seen as soft... until a man mentions the same idea, then it is considered "strategic." Women have to adapt in this organization in order to have their ideas, initiatives, etc. heard and implemented. This is especially true if the Ambassador and DCM are men."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Recent Salary
$50k-$80k
Recent Bonus
$0-$10k
Did you take Maternity leave?
"No"
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Mar 21st, 2016
"this is the government. you will make the same money, but you will not be treated the same. if you do high-level management work, you will still be seen as a clerk. if you are a man, you have initiative; if you are a woman, you are pushy. the work is still worth doing, but you need to be able to handle this stuff."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$0-$10k
Did you take Maternity leave?
"Yes"
12 Weeks Paid | 0 Weeks Unpaid
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Mar 21st, 2016
"As you become more senior, be prepared to be the only woman in a room of 10-20 men. Be prepared to witness your male colleagues being praised for simultaneously juggling parenting and work, especially when adversity hits (like a child sick day or a pregnant spouse) but don't expect your male colleagues to recognize your efforts to manage workplace and home commitments."
Are women & men treated equally?
"No"
Position or Department
Foreign Service Officer
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$0-$10k
Did you take Maternity leave?
"Yes"
0 Weeks Paid | 12 Weeks Unpaid
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Maybe"
Want to submit a response?
Anonymous shared this review of United States Department of State on Mar 21st, 2016
"Its not perfect, but the Foreign Service generally recognizes hard work and intelligence. While there will always be some who won't overcome their own biases, I think overall the work is great and I'm recognized for my contributions. Some bureaus are better than others, but the ones I've worked in have been positive experiences. I came from another agency prior to the FS and had a much different experience -- lots of entrenched bias and a view that women were all support staff. Again, not from everyone, but the attitudes were allowed to be expressed openly and were palpable."
Are women & men treated equally?
"Yes"
Position or Department
Foreign Service Officer
Recent Salary
$100k-$150k
Recent Bonus
$0-$10k
Did you take Maternity leave?
"Yes"
12 Weeks Paid | 0 Weeks Unpaid
Would you recommend United States Department of State to other women?
"Yes"
Want to submit a response?
