Another generation at risk: Women in senior roles still 25+ years away from parity
Stacey Davies, Business Advisory Partner at Grant Thornton New Zealand provides an overview of this year's Women in Business research, and how organisations can reach gender parity in senior leadership roles - faster.
21 years of research at a glance
For 21 years, we’ve tracked the proportion of women occupying senior management roles in mid-market companies around the world. Here's a snapshot of how businesses have fared over the last two decades.
| % women in senior management | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country Name | Country Code | X Coordinate | Y Coordinate | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2009 | 2007 | 2004 |
| Global | GL | 92.5 | 118 | 34.0% | 33.5% | 32.4% | 31.9% | 31.2% | 28.7% | 28.8% | 24.1% | 24.5% | 23.5% | 22.3% | 24.0% | 24.2% | 20.9% | 20.2% | 23.9% | 24.1% | 19.4% |
| Argentina | AR | 27 | 11 | 34.9% | 30.8% | 29.4% | 30.5% | 30.8% | 23.6% | 19.8% | 22.9% | 15.0% | 17.6% | 15.7% | 25.0% | 18.1% | 19.5% | 18.3% | 17.4% | ||
| Australia | AU | 92 | 15 | 36.5% | 39.6% | 39.5% | 32.0% | 32.4% | 28.4% | 41.9% | 15.1% | 23.3% | 22.9% | 22.0% | 22.0% | 22.5% | 24.2% | 27.1% | 23.0% | 21.9% | 22.1% |
| Brazil | BR | 28.5 | 24.6 | 36.7% | 37.1% | 38.6% | 37.8% | 39.0% | 34.4% | 25.4% | 29.5% | 18.7% | 18.5% | 15.2% | 22.0% | 23.1% | 26.5% | 23.7% | 28.7% | 42.0% | |
| Canada | CA | 16 | 70 | 34.7% | 35.5% | 38.6% | 30.4% | 35.6% | 32.0% | 28.4% | 25.0% | 23.4% | 26.4% | 25.1% | 23.0% | 26.6% | 25.1% | 27.8% | 27.9% | 18.6% | 22.4% |
| China | CN | 80 | 48 | 35.3% | 32.6% | 35.4% | 32.3% | 28.6% | 31.4% | 28.3% | 30.9% | 31.3% | 29.8% | 24.7% | 38.0% | 39.0% | 25.2% | 33.8% | 31.4% | 31.9% | |
| Egypt | EG | 57.1 | 37.7 | 30.3% | |||||||||||||||||
| France | FR | 46 | 53 | 37.7% | 37.9% | 34.8% | 31.1% | 32.9% | 27.9% | 18.5% | 32.8% | 30.9% | 28.0% | 32.6% | 24.0% | 25.7% | 23.8% | 21.2% | 17.8% | 21.2% | 20.7% |
| Germany | DE | 52 | 56 | 30.1% | 30.6% | 29.9% | 34.9% | 38.2% | 29.8% | 35.5% | 23.2% | 18.4% | 15.2% | 14.0% | 14.0% | 31.3% | 12.9% | 11.4% | 17.4% | 11.6% | 16.3% |
| Greece | GR | 54.7 | 46.3 | 30.7% | 31.6% | 36.8% | 28.3% | 32.6% | 24.5% | 21.8% | 26.0% | 19.8% | 26.7% | 27.0% | 29.0% | 29.5% | 21.3% | 29.9% | 23.0% | 20.6% | 22.0% |
| India | IN | 72 | 36 | 36.5% | 33.9% | 36.0% | 38.0% | 39.1% | 29.9% | 28.2% | 19.8% | 16.9% | 16.2% | 15.2% | 14.0% | 18.9% | 14.5% | 9.2% | 15.4% | 13.9% | 11.7% |
| Indonesia | ID | 91 | 28 | 36.3% | 37.4% | 38.7% | 38.1% | 37.7% | 36.6% | 31.9% | 42.6% | 45.6% | 36.2% | 20.2% | 41.0% | ||||||
| Ireland | IE | 41 | 57 | 36.5% | 36.0% | 40.3% | 30.5% | 32.8% | 31.1% | 34.9% | 31.8% | 26.0% | 19.1% | 24.4% | 23.0% | 21.2% | 21.3% | 19.4% | 21.5% | 21.0% | 15.6% |
| Italy | IT | 49.7 | 46.3 | 34.8% | 35.7% | 34.0% | 29.9% | 29.0% | 27.6% | 24.3% | 33.9% | 26.9% | 29.0% | 26.1% | 30.0% | 23.8% | 36.0% | 21.6% | 21.0% | 14.3% | 18.2% |
| Japan | JP | 90 | 50 | 18.4% | 19.5% | 15.9% | 14.9% | 14.7% | 12.1% | 15.4% | 5.4% | 7.1% | 7.3% | 7.8% | 9.0% | 7.4% | 5.3% | 8.1% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 7.6% |
| Kenya | KE | 59.7 | 29.2 | 37.9% | |||||||||||||||||
| Malaysia | MY | 79.6 | 28 | 36.2% | 39.6% | 40.4% | 40.1% | 36.9% | 33.4% | 22.7% | 27.9% | 24.2% | 26.5% | 22.4% | 25.0% | 25.8% | 28.3% | 31.3% | 31.3% | 23.0% | |
| Mexico | MX | 14 | 37 | 38.9% | 36.2% | 38.0% | 32.6% | 35.0% | 36.9% | 25.5% | 33.9% | 23.9% | 18.2% | 22.5% | 28.0% | 22.8% | 18.3% | 18.5% | 30.9% | 20.4% | 26.6% |
| Morocco | MA | 45.7 | 40.9 | 34.2% | |||||||||||||||||
| Nigeria | NG | 48 | 30 | 34.0% | 40.6% | 38.7% | 37.7% | 35.7% | 36.2% | 38.5% | 30.1% | 29.3% | 28.8% | 20.5% | |||||||
| Philippines | PH | 87.8 | 35.8 | 43.0% | 43.1% | 48.8% | 39.2% | 48.0% | 42.9% | 37.5% | 46.6% | 39.5% | 39.0% | 40.0% | 37.1% | 38.6% | 34.8% | 47.5% | 50.3% | 39.4% | |
| Singapore | SG | 84.5 | 28 | 36.3% | 31.3% | 49.3% | 33.8% | 32.8% | 30.7% | 33.0% | 29.7% | 29.8% | 25.8% | 22.9% | 23.0% | 27.4% | 23.1% | 29.9% | 27.9% | 20.8% | 23.0% |
| South Africa | ZA | 53 | 13 | 47.2% | 42.0% | 41.0% | 42.5% | 43.4% | 40.1% | 24.2% | 29.0% | 28.2% | 22.7% | 27.3% | 26.0% | 28.2% | 28.1% | 27.4% | 27.9% | 29.3% | 26.5% |
| South Korea | KR | 94 | 62 | 21.7% | 19.6% | 23.5% | 21.1% | 18.3% | 16.5% | 29.9% | |||||||||||
| Spain | ES | 42 | 47.2 | 40.4% | 40.3% | 37.6% | 35.9% | 33.5% | 33.8% | 29.7% | 27.2% | 27.2% | 25.8% | 25.6% | 22.0% | 21.4% | 24.1% | 22.2% | 20.6% | 17.3% | 14.1% |
| Sweden | SE | 51 | 68 | 35.3% | 34.3% | 30.5% | 32.0% | 30.1% | 26.9% | 21.6% | 29.5% | 28.5% | 25.8% | 28.0% | 26.0% | 26.8% | 22.9% | 26.7% | 21.5% | 22.5% | 17.7% |
| Thailand | TH | 79.7 | 37.8 | 43.1% | 41.0% | 36.6% | 38.0% | 34.2% | 33.5% | 19.4% | 42.1% | 31.4% | 37.1% | 27.2% | 38.0% | 35.8% | 39.3% | 45.0% | 37.8% | 39.2% | |
| Turkey | TR | 59.6 | 46.2 | 41.3% | 41.0% | 36.9% | 40.3% | 34.9% | 35.9% | 33.9% | 27.2% | 23.2% | 20.5% | 25.7% | 25.0% | 30.0% | 31.0% | 25.0% | 28.7% | 17.2% | 20.4% |
| United Arab Emirates | AE | 62.9 | 39 | 26.1% | 22.9% | 27.1% | 27.5% | 26.3% | 22.7% | 24.2% | |||||||||||
| United Kingdom | GB | 45 | 62.6 | 36.3% | 33.5% | 32.5% | 32.3% | 33.5% | 29.3% | 25.6% | 22.5% | 18.7% | 21.0% | 22.2% | 20.0% | 19.0% | 20.2% | 23.1% | 20.7% | 19.3% | 17.6% |
| United States | US | 12 | 55 | 34.0% | 34.8% | 30.8% | 33.3% | 32.3% | 28.3% | 31.1% | 21.2% | 22.7% | 23.2% | 21.1% | 22.0% | 20.3% | 16.9% | 15.0% | 20.3% | 23.3% | 19.8% |
| Vietnam | VN | 84.8 | 44 | 37.4% | 33.4% | 33.5% | 33.3% | 38.9% | 32.9% | 36.9% | |||||||||||
