Women in top leadership positions more than double as female-led companies report better performance – report

Women in top leadership positions more than double as female-led companies report better performance – report

It reveals the proportion of enterprises with women serving as board chairs rose to 30.9 per cent in 2025 from 13.1 per cent in 2013, reflecting growing female representation at the highest levels of business decision-making.

Women are making significant gains in corporate leadership, with the share of enterprises having female board chairs more than doubling over the past 12 years, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

However, the labour agency warns that declining implementation of gender equality programmes threatens to undermine progress.

It reveals the proportion of enterprises with women serving as board chairs rose to 30.9 per cent in 2025 from 13.1 per cent in 2013, reflecting growing female representation at the highest levels of business decision-making.

The share of companies with women chief executive officers also increased, rising to 28.2 per cent in 2025 from 23.4 per cent in 2013.

However, the gains have not translated into broad representation across management structures, with women accounting for only 30 per cent of managerial positions globally.

The report highlights that progress has been uneven, with female representation improving in senior and top management while declining in junior and middle management between 2013 and 2025, raising concerns about the pipeline of women moving into leadership roles.

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ILO says businesses were increasingly recognising the economic benefits of gender equality, with nearly seven in 10 enterprises surveyed in 2025 reporting improved business outcomes from diversity and gender equality initiatives.

This represented an increase of 11.1 percentage points from 2018, while 87.4 per cent of enterprises that recorded higher profits from initiatives promoting women in management reported gains of at least five per cent.

Companies with women chief executives and board chairs were also more likely to report improved business performance, strengthening the case for greater female representation in leadership.

“Gender equality is a fundamental right, and the evidence is clear that it is also a powerful driver of sustainable enterprises and economic growth. The priority now is to turn policies and commitments into concrete, measurable progress,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo.

Despite the growing business case, the report identifies a widening gap between corporate commitments and actual implementation.

While 74.8 per cent of enterprises reported having gender equality and diversity policies in 2025, the proportion actively implementing initiatives fell to 26.5 per cent from 37.4 per cent in 2018.

The decline affected programmes such as maternity support and equal pay initiatives, which businesses have identified as effective in improving workplace equality.

The report also highlights the untapped potential of women, who globally have higher tertiary education enrolment than men, at 46.4 per cent compared with 40.3 per cent in 2023.

The ILO calls on enterprises to strengthen leadership pipelines, introduce gender-based performance measures and expand women's access to sectors and positions where they remain under-represented.

It also urges businesses and policymakers to address structural barriers, including unequal care responsibilities and occupational segregation, which continue to limit women's advancement.