The presence of women in leadership has been steadily increasing over the years, but recent data suggests a slowdown—or even a decline—in progress. While strides have been made, significant barriers remain, particularly in sectors like power and utilities, where female representation is alarmingly low.
The Current Landscape: Where Do Women Stand?
- AI estimates suggest that only 25-29% of C-suite positions are held by women.
- FTSE 100 companies report that 32% of executive positions are occupied by women.
- In the Fortune 500, only 10.4% of CEOs are women.
- The power and utilities sector is particularly stark, with just 2% and 5% female representation, respectively.
Despite decades of advocacy and corporate initiatives, these figures highlight the persistence of gender disparities at the highest levels of leadership.
Barriers to Women in Leadership
Several factors contribute to the underrepresentation of women in executive roles:
- Discrimination – Unconscious bias and outdated perceptions continue to hinder female advancement.
- Lack of Networks – Many leadership opportunities arise from informal networks where women are often underrepresented.
- Low Confidence – Societal conditioning can lead to women underestimating their own leadership potential.
- Motherhood Penalty – Working mothers frequently experience wage reductions, diminished perceived competence and fewer career advancement opportunities compared to their childless counterparts.
The Solutions: How Do We Fix the Gap?
- Investment in Childcare – Employers and policymakers must prioritise affordable, high-quality childcare solutions to enable working mothers to pursue leadership roles without sacrificing career progression.
- Fixing the ‘Broken Rung’ – Research shows that men are more likely to be promoted into managerial positions early in their careers, creating a domino effect that limits female progression into senior leadership. Addressing this imbalance is critical.
The industry group POWERful Women are doing their bit, working with the Energy Leaders Coalition (ELC) who are making strides in increasing female representation.
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- 7 of 14 ELC companies have 40% women on their boards.
- 3 have reached 40% women in leadership positions.
- However, none have yet achieved gender balance in middle management.
Ongoing Challenges
While progress is being made, challenges persist:
- Anti-DEI Sentiment – A growing pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts threatens to stall progress.
- Hybrid Working Support – Companies must continue to offer flexible work environments that support women balancing career and family responsibilities.
- Slow Appointment Speeds – The rate of women being promoted into leadership roles remains sluggish, making long-term change difficult.
- Middle Management Gender Gap – Without addressing disparities at the managerial level, future leadership pipelines will continue to be male-dominated.
- Non-Inclusive Behaviours – ‘Banter’ and subtle biases in the workplace can discourage women from aspiring to leadership roles.
The Road Ahead
Organisations must be proactive in closing the gender gap by fostering inclusive workplace cultures, implementing policies that support women at all career stages and holding leadership accountable for driving meaningful change. The progress made so far is commendable, but true equality will only be achieved through sustained commitment and action.
