Root Causes of Slow Executive Gender Balance Progress

International Women’s Day – where are all the women? 🤔 Gender diversity isn’t just a “nice to have” – it’s an economic game-changer. Companies with more women in leadership are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability . That’s a competitive edge 📈💡, not just good karma. And yet, women hold only ~23% of board seats globally – less than a quarter. 🤯 The gap at the top is real, and it’s not for lack of talent or ambition. So why aren’t there more women in those boardrooms and corner offices? Because no amount of celebratory social media posts will fix systemic issues overnight. Real change means tackling the root causes head-on. For example: => 🚧 Bias – conscious and unconscious biases still stall women’s advancement (from hiring to performance evaluations). => 👩👧 Unpaid care – women disproportionately juggle child care and household responsibilities, leaving less time and flexibility to climb the corporate ladder. => 🤝 Mentorship gap – fewer mentors/sponsors to pull women up to leadership roles, plus smaller professional networks due to historically male-dominated leadership. => 🏢 Broken rung – women often get stuck below executive level due to fewer promotions (the “broken rung” phenomenon), making it harder to reach the C-suite. Posting an #IWD headline or a one-day hashtag isn’t enough. Real progress requires concrete action: fair hiring and promotions, flexible work policies for work-life balance, equal parental leave, mentorship programs, and leaders actively calling out bias in the workplace. This International Women’s Day, let’s move beyond the lip service. Everyone has a role to play – as managers, colleagues, and allies – in changing the system. Mentor a woman. Advocate for diverse slates in your team. Challenge stereotypes when you hear them. Let’s make sure that in the near future, we won’t have to keep asking “Where are all the women?” – because they’ll be right there leading at the top. 💪🚀 #IWD2025 #GenderDiversity #EqualOpportunity

𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 “𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲.” 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 “𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞” 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠. Every year, we applaud the small increase in women reaching the top. Every year, we expect real change. And yet, 10.4%? That’s not transformation—that’s stagnation. 𝐘𝐞𝐬, 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 10.4% 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 500 𝐂𝐄𝐎𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 2025. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰? Because let’s be honest—this isn’t about competence, ambition, or a lack of qualified women. The real issue? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧. Here’s what’s really happening: 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 “𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭”: Bias Companies don’t just promote the best—they promote who feels right in the role. And too often, that “right” looks like every CEO before them—male. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐭”: Women are expected to check every single box before being considered. Men? They’re promoted on potential, not perfection. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐩: A woman in the C-suite often stands alone. No peer network, no old boys' club, no ready-made allies. Leadership can be isolating when you’re the only one like you in the room. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝—They Just Look Different Assertive men are seen as confident. Assertive women? “Difficult.” A decisive male leader is strong. A decisive female leader is “cold.” Men can “focus on strategy.” Women still have to “prove” they belong. And even when they break through? - More scrutiny—one mistake defines her. - More resistance—team members hesitate to follow. - More pressure—because failure is seen as a sign that “women weren’t ready.” We are being judged at every step, for every decision we make. If not internally, then externally, in every social setup. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 "𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟" 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 "𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠" The System Isn’t Just Slow—It’s Flawed. We don’t need to “fix” women. We need to fix the biases, structures, and outdated leadership models that are still holding them back. So what needs to change? ✅ Promote women based on potential—just like men. ✅ Trust women leadership capabilities at work ✅ Build real support systems. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧 8𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭.

This is the question we kept coming back to in our latest research at Shape Talent Ltd, where we surveyed over 2,300 women in the UK to better understand the persistent barriers to gender equality in corporate life. The data was stark: 🔹 98% of women face some combination of systemic barriers 🔹 Women in senior roles are more likely to feel undermined, inadequate, and cautious about speaking up 🔹 The ‘double burden’ of paid and unpaid work remains relentless and largely invisible 🔹 And the pressure to walk a narrow behavioural tightrope - the “double bind” - is alive and well But here’s what struck me most: these barriers are not just frustrating, they are predictable. They’re the result of outdated systems, norms and leadership models that still reflect a version of the workplace built around a 1950s archetype: the male breadwinner with a stay-at-home wife. It’s no wonder that are survey results showed that women, especially Black women, LGBTQ+ women, disabled women, and working mothers, continue to face uphill battles. The data shows their challenges aren’t just individual. They’re structural. And they’re compounded by bias and a chronic lack of meaningful career development. We cannot ‘fix’ women to fit into broken systems. We must fix the system. So, what next? 1. Rethink leadership expectations 2. Redesign processes with equity in mind 3. Build cultures of true psychological safety 4. Invest intentionally in women’s career development Incremental change is no longer enough. The pace of progress is glacial – and regressing. At this rate, gender equality won’t be reached until 2154. That’s five generations too late. If you're in a position of influence - HR, DEI, leadership, it’s time to move from intent to impact. Real progress starts with bold steps. #GenderEquality #Leadership #Equity #Inclusion #ShapeTalent #DoubleBurden #DoubleBind #WomenInLeadership #Intersectionality #EDI #DEI

Only 18% of C-suite roles belong to women. And that number hasn’t changed fast enough. In 2023, women held just 18% of global C-suite positions. Not because they aren’t qualified. Not because they aren’t ambitious. But the path to leadership doesn’t unfold the same way for women. They face more barriers. Fewer sponsorships. Higher expectations to prove themselves, again and again. While we talk about progress, the numbers stay still. Women are encouraged to step up, but they’re often not offered the right roles. Some are promoted for potential. Others have to be overqualified just to be considered. This is not a talent issue. It’s an access issue. A visibility issue. A structural issue. So what’s holding women back? 1️⃣ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Leadership still looks a certain way. Confident. Assertive. Decisive. And when women lead with those same qualities, they’re often labelled difficult or unlikable. 2️⃣ 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 Mentors advise. Sponsors advocate. The person who opens the door when you're not in the room is often missing for women, and without that support, progress slows down. 3️⃣ 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐏&𝐋 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 The path to the top still runs through business-critical functions—finance, sales, and operations. But women are often placed in roles that don’t lead to the boardroom. 4️⃣ 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 Many leadership roles still operate on the assumption of 24/7 access. It doesn’t leave room for caregiving, career pauses, or life outside work. And that cost is disproportionately paid by women. So, what do we do next? ✅ Start by placing women in business-critical roles. ✅ Turn mentorship into sponsorship. ✅ Redesign promotion criteria to recognise potential, not just performance. ✅ And rethink leadership structures to reflect the world we live in now. Because this isn’t about ticking a diversity box, it’s about building leadership that reflects the talent already in the room. Is progress still crawling, or are we finally building something better? #ExecutiveGrowth #CorporateDiversity #LeadershipEquity #AnooshkaSohamBathwal

We’ve been talking about getting more women into leadership for decades Yet here we are still quoting the same statistics Still applauding the same slow progress You want more women in leadership? Then stop fixing women and start fixing the system Because here’s the truth: - Women don’t lack ambition - They don’t lack skills - They don’t need another confidence workshop What they do need is: → Transparent promotion pathways → Support that doesn’t penalise motherhood → Leaders who sponsor, not just mentor → Equal pay for equal outcomes → KPIs that reward impact, not hours worked Let’s be honest, most leadership pipelines weren’t built for women They were built without us in mind So when women "drop out" of the race, It’s not because they couldn’t keep up It’s because the race was never designed for them to win Here’s what companies actually need to do: 1. Audit your leadership criteria: Is it rewarding volume over value? 2. Normalise flexibility at the top. Not just for junior staff. 3. Redefine leadership presence. Loud isn’t always strong. Quiet isn’t weak. 4. Invest in mid-career women. That’s where the real attrition happens (it almost happened to me) 5. Create accountability: If your exec team hasn’t changed in 5 years, ask why. Diversity at the top isn’t a DEI initiative It’s a leadership imperative And it starts with structural change, not sentiment

As WGEA’s mandatory gender targets take effect, it’s tempting to rush straight into action. To pick a number. Draft a statement. Publish a plan. But here’s what we know: targets set without understanding the systems behind the data risk doing more harm than good, especially in this environment. Because gender pay gaps, leadership gaps, and promotion gaps are not just numbers. They’re signals, telling the story of your systems, power structures, and workplace culture. And if we don’t listen, we miss the opportunity - and the obligation - to act: A 9% gender pay gap? ⚠️ A warning sign. Less than 35% women in leadership? 🚩 A red flag. 5% of all promotions to part-timers? ❗ Low male uptake of parental leave? 🔍 A cultural cue. These aren’t quirks of the data. They’re evidence of deeper risks: - Sex-based discrimination in career pathways - Bias in performance and promotion - Cultural assumptions about gender roles - Power imbalances that enable harassment And under Respect@Work, these risks are now your legal responsibility to identify and eliminate. Positive Duty is in force - and the financial and reputation risks continue to grow. ✨ GEN – our Gender Equality Navigator – analyses what’s behind your numbers. And this is what our clients are loving right now. One client’s coaching data revealed 5 clear barriers to equality - but it also what was working and needed to be amplified. For example: - Why ambition stalls after parental leave - Why women weren't applying for senior roles - Where sponsorship capability is missing - How flex stigma erodes progression - Why men aren't taking their full parental leave allocation So, instead of chasing arbitrary targets, they set goals around promotion equity, parental leave consistency, and pay gap reviews - tackling the real drivers of inequality in their business. That’s exactly why we built GEN: to combine system-level data with coaching insights, so you can set targets that are grounded in evidence and act on the root causes of inequality. 👉 If you’re setting your gender targets right now, let’s talk about how GEN can help you see not just the numbers, but the story behind them. #RespectAtWork #WGEA #genderequality #leadership #culture Caroline Maillols [Mah-yols] Vikas Thakur Ben Gilbert Tegan Sturrock

Women are paid less because they choose easier jobs. They lack the ambition to reach the top. I have heard this so many times. In my 30 years of HR experience I say what utter rubbish. The reality? Women are taking on complex roles and leadership positions. Systemic barriers totally slow their progress. The raw data exposes this myth: ↳ 77¢ for every male $1 (WEF 2024) ↳ $172B lost in US GDP annually ↳ 2x slower promotion rate ↳ 28% of tech leadership roles women (McKinsey 2024) ↳ 54% of women report workplace bias (Deloitte 2024) ↳ 12% EU gender pay gap (Eurostat 2024) ↳ 8% in India, 22% gap in Japan (WEF 2024) But there's more to this story than just the problem. Here's the truth: Companies with equal pay crush it: ↳ 21% higher profits (McKinsey 2024) ↳ 27% better value creation (BCG) ↳ 40% higher revenue per employee So what's the solution? It's time for decisive action. 4 actions leaders must take: 1. Transparency 📊 ↳ Publish pay ranges ↳ Regular equity audits ↳ Ban salary history questions 2. Promotion Parity 📈 ↳ Track promotion velocity by gender ↳ Remove informal networks ↳ Set clear advancement criteria 3. Equal Opportunity 🎯 ↳ Standardise performance metrics ↳ Blind resume screening ↳ Mixed-gender interview panels 4. Structural Change ⚡ ↳ Equal parental leave ↳ Flexible work policies ↳ Leadership development programmes 5. Mentorship & Sponsorship 🌟 ↳ Formal mentoring programs ↳ Executive sponsorship matching ↳ Cross-functional networking events 6. Data-Driven Accountability 📱 ↳ Monthly pay gap reporting ↳ Diversity scorecards ↳ Third-party equity certification The math is simple: When women rise, everyone wins. Ready to drive real change?  💡 Comment with ONE action you'll implement this quarter. 🔄 Share this with a leader who needs to see it. Follow Hayden Swerling for more HR insights

The Great She-cession: A Global Reality 🚺A recent McKinsey & Lean In 2025 report reveals that women even in senior positions in the US are leaving the workforce at nearly twice the rate of men. ◽️Not because of capability or ambition but : ▫️Motherhood penalty that stalls their career. ▫️Racial inequities ▫️Lack of flexibility with return to office mandates, ▫️Weak child care infrastructure support ▫️Burnout and stress ▫️Workplace bias and discrimination ▫️ Unpaid care giving responsibilities at home ▫️Safety concerns 🚺This isn’t just an American story, but globally these trends are also mirrored with ILO reporting women’s participation is 47% vs 72% for men. A 25% gap/ ▫️Remote work helped but also blurred boundaries and made them in fact shoulder double shift burden ▫️708 million women are excluded from the labour work force because of unpaid caregiving. ▫️The UN warns closing the gender gap in workforce participation could take over 130 years. 🚺India too reflects similar root cause reasona often magnified by cultural and infrastructural gaps. ▫️The female labor force participation rate (FLFP) stands at 37% in 2025, up from 23% in 2017 (CMIE data), yet millions are still dropping out after marriage, childbirth. ▫️Informal sector reliance obscures real labour contribution with no maternity or childcare support and fragile job security ▫️Nearly 50% of Indian women quit mid-career, mainly due to caregiving burdens and unsafe work environments. ▫️Urban educated women face a “broken rung” with very few reach leadership positions (just 17% of senior managers are women). 🚺This is then not just a women’s issue but an economic and societal crisis. ▫️When women leave, businesses lose talent, innovation, and diverse leadership. ▫️Economies shrink—India alone could add $770 billion to GDP by 2025 with gender parity in the workforce (McKinsey) 🚺Remedy: ✔️Policy shifts: Paid parental leave for both parents, elder care,childcare subsidies, ✔️Re-entry programs for women reentering work force after maternity breaks. ✔️Flexible work, hybrid models, and mentorship pipelines . ✔️Prioritise burnout prevention and mental health ✔️Stop seeing women as “secondary earners” to recognizing them as growth drivers. ✔️ Diversity targets tied to leadership KPIs, not just CSR reports. 🚺Because when women leave the workplace, it’s not just a gender issue it’s a growth issue. ✔️When women rise, workplaces thrive. ❌And when women leave, everyone loses. 28/8/25 240/365 #genderequality #workplace #diversityandinclusion #linkedinlife #linkedin

There are several deeply rooted and intersecting reasons why many highly qualified and educated women end up in administrative roles—often in service to men—despite their credentials and capabilities. 1. Historical Gender Roles and Social Conditioning From a young age, women are often socialized to be supportive, accommodating, and responsible for the emotional labor of groups, families, and workplaces. This translates into roles that involve coordination, scheduling, note-taking, and nurturing others' success—typical administrative responsibilities. Men, by contrast, are more often encouraged to be assertive, take leadership, and assume authority. 2. Systemic Bias and Workplace Structures Hiring and promotion systems often undervalue “soft skills” (organization, communication, multitasking) when exhibited by women and overvalue “hard skills” or “leadership presence” when exhibited by men—even when women demonstrate both. In many fields, there remains a gendered hierarchy in which leadership roles are occupied by men, and administrative or operational ones by women. 3. Recognition and Reward Disparities Women may be funneled into support roles regardless of education, simply because they're more likely to be perceived as dependable and "good at organizing." The contributions of women in these roles are often invisible or considered part of the “functioning” of a workplace, rather than strategic leadership, even though they may be doing work that directly contributes to the success of male leaders. 4. Optics, Control, and Safety Women who push toward leadership roles may be labeled “aggressive” or “difficult,” while men in similar roles are seen as “strong” or “decisive.” Many women opt for (or are steered into) administrative roles as a “safe space” to stay employed, maintain flexibility, and avoid constant battles for legitimacy in male-dominated leadership circles. 5. Credential Inflation and Limited Mobility Many highly educated women may take administrative jobs out of necessity—especially in academia, nonprofits, or under-resourced sectors—where the role titles don't match the complexity or strategic value of the work. Overqualification becomes a paradox: they’re hired for their competence, but pigeonholed into roles that do not offer real upward mobility or power. 6. Intersectionality Makes It Worse For women of color, LGBTQ+ women, disabled women, and other marginalized identities, the problem is compounded by additional layers of bias and exclusion that further narrow their access to leadership roles. The Core Issue: Many organizations still operate under patriarchal assumptions, even unconsciously: men lead, and women support. The presence of women in administrative roles is not about merit or ability—it’s about deeply held cultural narratives and institutional structures that reproduce inequality. Share your thoughts and repost to grow the conversation. It's an important one. #womensempowerment Miri Rodriguez

The 2025 Chief Executive Women (CEW) Census tells us that only 10% of ASX 300 CEOs are women and that many companies still have no women in CEO pipeline roles. I won’t sugarcoat the findings. They are sobering but not surprising, given the disparity between the base and apex of the talent inclinator. Gender balance has been the norm at Cotality International for almost a decade. It has come from recognising nascent capability long before an “exec” label is applied and creating an environment where performance and potential are the only differentiators. In that kind of culture, diversity is not engineered or contrived. It happens because all talent is encouraged to rise to the top. No workplace is flawless and ours is no exception. Claims of “no pipeline” often miss the point because the talent exists. The real question is whether leaders are prepared to see potential before confidence fully forms, to open critical opportunities, and to encourage women into operational roles. Progress does not happen by chance. It happens when environments are shaped deliberately so leadership reflects capability rather than familiarity and conventionality. The Census is a reminder that women do not need fixing. Systems do.  #CEWCensus2025 #WomenInLeadership #Leadership https://lnkd.in/gURnJ9en