Women's Leadership Growth Stalls Across Global Markets

LinkedIn's 2026 State of Women in Leadership report finds that women only occupy 31% of leadership positions worldwide, despite accounting for 44% of the global workforce. 

The research demonstrates that female representation declines as careers progress. This becomes most apparent in executive roles, where the number of women falls by 30% in the step from Vice President to the C-suite.

Silvia Lara, Senior Data Scientist at LinkedIn, says that when discussing the experiences of women in the workplace, people need to "bring facts and data".

She says: "We need to move this month away from 'feel-good' statements that can inadvertently reinforce the exact preconceived notions that hold women back. Instead, focus the conversation on calling for the policy changes that tackle these systemic friction points."

Leadership representation is slowing

The growth of women in leadership positions appears to be decelerating.

From 2015 to 2022, women's leadership representation grew 0.4% per year, but this pace has slowed significantly. Since 2022, the number of women in leadership positions has increased by 0.3% in total and stalled completely or even reversed in 62% of the countries surveyed.

While this pattern can be seen across all industries, those where women form the majority of workers have stronger levels of women in leadership compared to those with less female representation, such as construction or oil and gas companies.

The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap report 2025 has also highlighted this slow pace of women's growth in leadership positions.

The research, which examines gender equality across 148 countries, finds that full gender parity in the workplace will not be achieved for 123 years, with women often found in lower paying roles.

Developing female leadership talent

To attempt to close this leadership gap, many organisations are developing dedicated employee upskilling programmes to help female employees develop leadership skills. American Airlines has created a dedicated Women's Leadership Program designed to connect, develop and support both female leaders and female pilots through learning and mentoring, as well as providing networking receptions to better build connections between women in the workplace.

In February, the company partnered with Women in Aviation International (WAI) as its official airline for the Women in Aviation International Conference.

Cole Brown, Chief People Officer of American Airlines, says of the partnership: "At American, we believe building a culture where women and girls are represented, empowered and able to thrive as leaders is vital to the future of our industry. As we celebrate our centennial year, we're proud to partner with WAI – and welcome its supporters to our hometown of Dallas-Fort Worth – to honour our legacy of innovation and reinforce our commitment to developing the future of the aviation workforce."

Strengthening pathways to senior roles

To increase women's representation in leadership positions, LinkedIn recommends that businesses strengthen early career pathways and ensure there is equitable access to senior roles in their organisations.

This includes supporting female workers through mid career transitions and deploying strategies to improve retention and avoid a steep leadership decline.

The research demonstrates that closing the gender gap at the top will require persistent effort to ensure that gains in workforce participation translate into meaningful leadership representation over time.

Without targeted intervention and systemic change, the current trajectory suggests that progress towards gender parity in leadership will remain frustratingly slow.