Executive summary
Women’s representation in senior leadership among U.S. companies has fallen from 35% to 31% in two years — just as investors and future talent are placing greater weight on leadership composition. The latest Women in Business research (PDF - 27 MB) shows companies with gender-balanced leadership teams are more likely to report stronger revenue and workforce growth.
Why visibility matters for business growth
Investing in gender equality drives business performance. The latest Women in Business research from Grant Thornton International Ltd. reinforces that mid-market firms maintaining or expanding gender equality initiatives are more likely to report revenue and employee growth.
Yet representation at the top is moving in the opposite direction. Women now hold 31% of senior leadership roles in the U.S., down from 34% in 2025 and 35% in 2024.
The decline comes just as investors, employees and future talent place greater scrutiny on leadership balance. Investors are asking about senior team balance. Employees are watching the number of women who rise to the top to determine advancement opportunities. And candidates are evaluating leadership diversity before accepting roles.
In today’s market, leadership composition directly influences performance. Companies that commit to gender parity at the top strengthen investor confidence, attract top talent and position themselves for sustained growth.
Gender-balanced teams lead to stronger performance
The Women in Business data makes it clear: Leadership composition directly influences investor confidence, hiring outcomes and long-term performance. Gender-diverse leadership teams contribute to stronger decision-making, greater innovation and accelerated growth.
This is particularly true in the U.S. Twenty-two percent of companies report improved financial performance linked to gender equality strategies, compared to 19% globally.
Increasingly, a company’s potential for capital depends on its commitment to parity. Thirty-six percent of U.S. companies report that investors have requested evidence of senior management gender balance or a commitment to improving it — significantly higher than the global average of 27%. Companies that sustain gender balance demonstrate stronger governance and clearer succession planning. Those outcomes matter to investors.
Companies that prioritize gender equality strategies experience opportunities to attract and retain top talent. Eighty-two percent of U.S. respondents say they personally consider a company’s commitment to inclusion initiatives when applying for a new role, well above the global average of 71%.
In a competitive labor market, visible commitment to gender equality differentiates organizations in attracting and retaining high-performing leaders.
U.S. companies demonstrate their commitment to gender parity
This year, U.S. companies are taking action to increase visibility among women in senior leadership.
Ninety percent report reviewing their inclusion initiatives in 2025. Forty-four percent have a gender equality strategy tied to recruitment and selection, and nearly half have a strategy focused on senior leadership positions. Furthermore, 39% of U.S. companies say they are committed to their gender equality initiatives and plan to implement new ones.
These actions show employees, investors and future leaders that gender equality is a strategic priority.
Fewer women aligned with enterprise decision-making roles
Despite commitments among U.S. companies to further parity, representation among women in senior leadership positions has declined. Women leaders are also not equally distributed across leadership roles. Many holds functional positions, such as human resources officer (46%) and chief marketing officer (38%). Fewer hold top executive roles such as CEO (28%) and chief commercial officer (27%). Even fewer hold enterprise authority positions — just 7% are partners and 6% chairpersons.
Visible female leadership in any function matters, but sustained parity requires representation across the full spectrum of senior decision-making roles. When overall representation declines, and women remain concentrated in a narrower band of leadership roles, progress toward balanced enterprise decision-making stalls.
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Turning visibility into sustained progress
U.S. companies have shown clear intent to invest in gender parity initiatives. To translate their efforts into sustained, measurable progress, businesses should:
- Make the business case for gender parity. Clearly demonstrate how gender-balanced leadership drives growth, sharper decision-making and stronger financial results. In the U.S., where senior representation has declined, make the business impact visible to restore momentum.
- Elevate diverse voices in enterprise decision-making. Representation across core decision-making roles — not just functional leadership — reduces the risk of further setbacks and reinforces resilience. Build succession pathways that lead to gender-balanced leadership across the organization.
- Make progress visible. When commitments and outcomes are transparent, they inspire confidence across employees, talent and investors. In competitive U.S. markets, visible progress differentiates organizations and strengthens access to talent and capital.
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