Share of enterprises with a woman board chair rises to 30.9 per cent, ILO survey finds

3 November 2026

The International Labour Organization has published a report titled Women in Business and Management: Scaling Success.
It draws on a global enterprise survey of 11,957 firms in 99 countries carried out in 2025, compared with similar surveys of 2013 and 2018.
In 2013 just 13.1 per cent of firms had a woman chairing the board; by 2025 that stood at 30.9 per cent. Firms with a woman chief executive moved from 23.4 per cent to 28.2 per cent.
Women hold 30 per cent of managerial posts worldwide.
Balance improved at senior levels but fell at junior and middle levels, which weakens the pipeline to the top.
Nearly seven in ten firms said gender equality and diversity work improved business results, up by 11.1 percentage points from 2018.
Yet 74.8 per cent of firms had a gender equality policy while far fewer ran one: in 2018 the figure was 37.4 per cent, and by 2025 only 26.5 per cent.
The report asks for voluntary targets, gender measurement and attention to unequal care work at home.