According to the ILO report on women in business and management, companies that actively implement the principles of gender equality record improvements in their financial and operational performance. At the same time, despite progress, women still hold only about a third of management positions worldwide.
Dynamics of women's representation in leadership positions
The study, based on a survey of 11,957 enterprises in 99 countries conducted in 2025, identified specific changes in corporate governance. Between 2013 and 2025, the share of companies with a woman as board chair rose from 13.1% to 30.1%.
The impact of equality on business performance
Almost 70% of surveyed companies said that gender equality and diversity initiatives had a positive impact on their operations. This figure is more than 11 percentage points above the 2018 level. Moreover, among enterprises that reported increased profits due to the promotion of women to leadership positions, 87.4% recorded growth of at least 5%.
Changes in management composition
An improvement in gender balance has been noted at the level of senior and top management, while at the same time the situation has worsened among middle and lower-level managers.
- Companies led by women as chief executive officer or board chair more often reported improvements in their performance.
The data was obtained as part of the International Labour Organization (ILO) report on women in business and management.
