Women in Business 2025: Impacting the missed generation

In Grant Thornton International Ltd.’s “Women in Business 2025: Impacting the missed generation,” the data presents a risk for companies globally: companies are moving too slowly toward gender parity in mid-market leadership. While women are projected to reach equal representation in senior management roles by 2051 — two years earlier than previously projected — waiting 26 years means businesses are missing out on tangible performance benefits today.

Gender parity drives measurable results across business functions, including improved decision-making, increased innovation and stronger financial performance. Companies that delay intentional action toward gender parity aren’t just falling behind on diversity aspirations — they’re compromising their competitive edge and overall growth potential.

Respondents from the U.S. indicate progress is being made — but in several areas, there is room for improvement. The overall percentage of women in senior management held steady at 34% globally — but for the U.S., that is one-percentage-point decrease from 2024.

That decline is coupled with some positive trends. Among U.S. companies surveyed, zero reported leadership teams lacking women — alongside Indonesia and China.
 
 

“In the corporate world, it is now almost completely inexcusable to have leadership teams [exclusive of women], and if a pitch team [without women] turns up for a presentation, they risk being turned away at the door. Organizations just aren’t comfortable doing business with companies that have a board or management [lacking representation].”

 
Nicole JuliusPartner, Strategic Assurance and SOC Services Solution Leader,
Grant Thornton LLP
Principal, Grant Thornton Advisors LLC
 

“In the U.S., this achievement is likely because of changing cultural attitudes. In the corporate world, it is now almost completely inexcusable to have leadership teams [exclusive of women], and if a pitch team [without women] turns up for a presentation, they risk being turned away at the door,” said Nicole Julius, Grant Thornton Partner and Strategic Assurance and SOC Services Leader. “Organizations just aren’t comfortable doing business with companies that have a board or management [lacking representation].”

Women in the U.S. are also making gains in specific leadership roles. The proportion of women in chief financial officer roles has jumped to 49% — a 13-percentage-point increase from last year. Similarly, women now hold 27% of chief technology officer positions, up 12 points from 2024. They also hold a higher percentage of C-suite roles, including chief sustainability officers and chief communications officers, outpacing global averages.

Still, this growth is not enough to propel progress toward gender parity fast enough. To avoid another generation of missed opportunity — for women and the businesses they benefit — companies need to take bold action to accelerate women’s representation at the senior level.