New Report Shows Record Advances In Workplace Gender Equity, Pinpointing Predictors of Female Leadership Success

●      The annual Women in Work (WiW) Gender Equity Measure (GEM) Report, in partnership with LinkedIn reveals 121 large companies, across 24 sectors, leading the way in workplace gender equity – a 19% YoY increase

●      Despite this year’s progress, women continue to be excluded from top roles with 9 out of 10 male CEOs replaced by men compared to a 50/50 split when female CEOs step down

●      For the first time, the GEM Report partners with LinkedIn to uncover the three predictors of high female leadership within companies

●      WiW Trailblazers who top the WIW100 list have doubled, with Biffa, Reckitt Benckiser, and Rolls-Royce Holdings amongst those joining the ranks of progress-makers

Monday 6 October, 2025: The 2025 Women in Work Gender Equity Measure Report, produced in partnership with LinkedIn, shows a record 19% rise since 2024 in the number of the UK’s largest 400 companies meeting gender equity benchmarks. A total of 121 companies, spanning 24 sectors, are now hitting these standards. The report will be central to discussions taking place on 9^th October at the WiW Summit in London.

Despite more companies leading the way, there are still barriers to overcome. Women remain excluded from top roles: nine out of 10 male CEOs are replaced by men, compared to a 50/50 split when female CEOs step down. LinkedIn data reveals three quarters (75%) of UK companies have a lower proportion of women in leadership than in their overall workforce. The findings show women fall behind at every stage of their career, with career progression stalling hardest between ages 30-50 when caregiving responsibilities peak.

This year’s report, created in partnership with LinkedIn, analyses the UK’s top 400 companies on three metrics:

1.     Meaningful representation of women on boards (above 33%);

2.     Closing gender pay gap (mean or median hourly pay gap under 15%) and

3.     Transparent and public parental leave policies.

For the second consecutive year, Women in Work has revealed their WiW100 list – the companies achieving all three GEM Measures. In 2025, more than half of the 400 companies analysed (232) made parental leave policies public and easy to find – a 22% increase on last year. Six more companies had a lowest mean or median hourly pay gap of less than 1%.

The number of  WiW’s Trailblazers – those topping the WiW100 list with equal executive boards, pay gaps under 1%  and transparent parental policies – have doubled this year. In 2025, ten companies, spanning seven sectors topped the list, including:

For the first time, WiW collaborated with LinkedIn to uncover what predicts higher female leadership representation. The analysis of over 40 million UK LinkedIn members across 10,000 businesses reveals three concrete actions that drive progress. These include:

1.     Flexible working models: businesses with more than 50% remote/hybrid workers show a 1–2 percentage point higher share of female leadership, than those with less

2.     Support career breaks for dependent care: companies that show a track record of workers with career breaks for caregiving are 27% more likely to have gender-balanced or female-led teams

3.     Avoid stereotype occupational segmentation: companies with less gender segregation and stereotypes are 5.8 percentage points more likely to have gender-balanced or female-led leadership teams

The GEM data, drawn from companies across more than 24 sectors, demonstrates that meaningful progress on gender equality is achievable in every industry. Findings by sector include:

●      The food and drink industry had the highest proportion of low pay gaps, with over half of companies tracked having under 1% pay gaps

●      Insurance, Electronics, Fashion & Beauty and Asset Management had the highest number of companies with women representing over 1/3 on boards

●      Telecoms and Insurance had the highest number of publicly published parental policies, with over 90% of firms tracked publishing their parental policies

Mariella Frostrup, Co-Founder, Women in Work Summit says: “Our second annual WiW GEM Report celebrates remarkable progress, showing that gender equity is not just achievable – it’s transformative, across any sector. Every company featured in our report is setting the standard, proving that workplaces can be fair, flexible, and genuinely supportive for all.

“At Women in Work, we call in those leading the way, confident that others will follow. And thanks to our partnership with LinkedIn, we now have clear evidence that breaking stereotypes, embracing real flexibility, and supporting caregiving directly drives female leadership. We know our work is far from done – and we will do everything we can to continue to shift the dial and make meaningful progress for women in the workplace.”

Sue Duke, VP, Global Public Policy and Managing Director for EMEA and LATAM, LinkedIn added:

“Our partnership with Women in Work gives us a clear view of where progress stalls. Women are entering the workforce in equal numbers but remain blocked from advancing. CEO succession shows it starkly: when male CEOs step down, nine in ten successors are men, but when female CEOs leave, replacements split 50/50. The problem isn’t just the pipeline, women are qualified and ready. The issue is systemic barriers that hold them back, and that costs us all dearly.”

 “We also see what helps break the cycle. Companies that embrace flexible work, support career breaks, and build mixed-gender teams are far more likely to have women in leadership. If more businesses took these steps, we could unlock billions a year for the UK economy, proving that equity is not only fair, but it also fuels growth.”

The Women in Work summit will be held on 9 October 2025, to find out more about how you can attend and join in these important conversations, please visit here.