![\"Corporate](\"https:\/\/dataconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1132717.jpg\" "\\"Corporate")
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Meg O\u2019Neill is set to become the first and only female CEO of a major oil company when she takes the helm of London-based bp next month.<\/p>\n
Her appointment highlights a persistent gender gap in corporate leadership. According to LinkedIn, women comprise 44% of the global workforce but hold less than one-third of vice-president level and above roles.<\/p>\n
Progress toward gender parity in top management has slowed significantly. From 2015 to 2022, the share of women in top-level management rose from 27.9% to 30.7%, but it increased by only 0.1 percentage point in the last year.<\/p>\n
Hiring trends for senior roles show a recent decline. Across 16 major economies, women\u2019s share of new senior leadership hires peaked at 34.8% in 2022 and fell to 32.9% in 2025.<\/p>\n
A shift to a slack labor market is associated with a roughly two-percentage-point drop in women\u2019s leadership representation. This change erases three years of progress, according to the research.<\/p>\n
Women face significant barriers at key promotion stages. Globally, representation drops 18% from senior individual contributor roles to first-line manager roles and falls by 30% from VP to C-suite roles.<\/p>\n
Employers are rolling back programs that support working caregivers. Research from McKinsey shows that 13% of employers scaled back or discontinued flexible work arrangements in 2025.<\/p>\n
Additionally, 25% of employers reduced or eliminated remote or hybrid work options. Two in 10 employers admit they are placing little or no priority on women\u2019s career advancement.<\/p>\n
Women are 55.2% more likely than men to take career breaks, averaging 19.6 months out of the workforce. About one-third of those women cite full-time parenting as the primary reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow almost no organization has a meaningful management development track,\u201d said Jane Edison Stevenson, global vice chair at consultancy Korn Ferry. \u201cIt\u2019s a problem in general, and it\u2019s especially a problem for women.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there isn\u2019t a specific intentionality about making sure that spots are filled by women, then we could lose ground,\u201d Edison Stevenson said.<\/p>\n
Women remain deeply invested in their work. LinkedIn\u2019s Workforce Confidence survey shows 65% of women in the U.S. say their job is an important part of their identity, compared to 60% of men.<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurship is becoming a clear expression of women\u2019s ambition. Over the past decade, the share of global founders who are women has jumped over 5 percentage points, with women now comprising nearly 30% of founders worldwide.<\/p>\n
Generational shifts are also underway. The drop in women\u2019s representation from the workforce to top leadership is 31.5% for baby boomers, compared with 21.7% for Gen Z.<\/p>\n
Women now make up 48% of Gen Z workers globally, compared to just 27.4% of baby boomers. This suggests younger cohorts are entering the workforce on more equal footing.<\/p>\n
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