Gender equality and diversity are proven drivers of business success. However, while more women are reaching top corporate positions, sustained momentum requires stronger, more consistent initiatives.
This conclusion is highlighted in the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) latest report, Women in Business and Management: Scaling Success, released on Tuesday.
Between 2013 and 2025, the share of companies with a woman board chair rose from 13.1 per cent to 30.1 per cent. Similarly, the proportion of female CEOs climbed from 23.5 per cent to 28.2 per cent during the same period.
Despite these gains, women remain significantly under-represented in management overall, occupying roughly one-third of managerial-level roles. While gender balance improved at senior and top management levels, it actually declined at junior and middle management tiers.
Commitment vs. execution
The report draws on a 2025 ILO survey of 11,957 enterprises across 99 countries, alongside previous surveys from 2013 and 2018, three decades of labour market data, secondary research, and case studies.
Nearly 70 per cent of enterprises surveyed in 2025 stated that gender equality and diversity initiatives enhanced business outcomes, representing an increase of more than 11 percentage points compared to 2018.
Among companies reporting profit increases due to initiatives promoting women in management, 87.4 per cent experienced gains of at least five per cent. Additionally, firms led by female CEOs and board chairs were more likely to report superior business performance.
Nevertheless, although nearly three-quarters (74.8 per cent) of enterprises reported having a gender equality and diversity policy in place in 2025, the actual implementation rate fell to 26.5 per cent, down from 37.4 per cent in 2018.
“The decline included measures that enterprises themselves identified as among the most effective, including maternity leave and support programmes and equal pay initiatives,” the ILO noted.
Making the case
The UN agency emphasized that these findings emerge despite substantial progress in women’s education, including higher rates of enrolment in tertiary education compared to men.
Yet, women continue to be under-represented in key business functions and sectors that often serve as pipelines to senior leadership.
“At a time when enterprises are competing for skills and talent, leaving women’s potential untapped makes little business sense,” stated Maria Paz Anzorreguy, Director of the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities.
A future where women ‘shine’
The report recommends actionable measures, such as strengthening women’s leadership pipelines, improving access to under-represented roles and sectors, and adopting gender metrics and voluntary targets.
It also urges addressing structural barriers outside the workplace, including unequal care responsibilities, occupational segregation, and persistent social norms.
Rosemarie P. Rafael, founder and chairperson of the Philippines-based logistics company Airspeed—one of three case studies featured in the report—shared her insights with the authors.
“A company with a nurturing culture, with fair recruitment, promotion, and remuneration, will secure the best talent, both women and men,” she remarked.
“And when women know they have a future in the company, they shine.”