📊 ILO Report: Enterprise Benefits Grow from Gender Equality, But Implementation Lags

A new International Labour Organisation (ILO) report based on a global survey of 11,957 enterprises across 99 countries highlights significant progress in women’s corporate leadership, alongside a gap in implementation. • Overall Leadership Figures (2013 vs 2025): • Woman Board Chairs: Increased from 13.1% to 30.9%. • Woman CEOs: Increased from 23.4% to 28.2%. • Management Pipeline: Women hold under a third (30%) of global managerial roles, with balance declining at junior and middle management levels. • Business Case & Returns: • 70% of enterprises report improved business outcomes from gender equality and diversity initiatives (up 11.1 percentage points from 2018). • Among companies reporting profit gains from women in management, 87.4% cited profit increases of at least 5%. • Implementation Gap: • 74.8% of enterprises had gender equality policies in 2025. • However, active implementation of diversity initiatives dropped from 37.4% in 2018 to 26.5% in 2025, affecting key support like maternity leave, equal pay, and leadership development across sectors vital for broader economic growth like ICT/BPM and manufacturing. • Education vs. Workplace: • Women lead tertiary education enrollment globally (46.4% women vs 40.3% men in 2023), but structural barriers and care responsibilities continue to restrict career pipelines.