Having more women in workplaces increases profitability and productivity, improves customer experience and resilience, drives innovation, and is a reputational win. This is not my opinion, but the findings of extensive research from respected consulting firms, universities, and global organisations. And yet, in 2024, the International Labour Organisation estimates that women are still underrepresented in the workplace – accounting for 40% of global workers, and only 31.7% of leadership roles, according to the World Economic Forum’s “Global Gender Gap (GGG) Report 2024”. 

The latest data shows a reversal of some recent gender diversity gains, particularly in the C-suite. Women now hold 25% of chief executive roles globally, a far cry from near parity in entry-level jobs. The latest economic crunch is not helping. “Worsening macroeconomic conditions are linked to a decrease in hiring women into senior leadership roles,” says the GGG report. The irony is that “the higher women’s representation in the workforce is, the greater the resilience to retrenchment during economic downturns”.