Closing the Gender Gap in Senior Leadership

Jun 18, 2026 Closing the Gender Gap in Senior Leadership
undefined

This insight report presents a global, cross-industry analysis of where progress towards gender parity in senior leadership stands today and the structural factors that continue to shape it. Developed by the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the New Economy and Society as part of the Global Gender Parity Sprint, the report draws on novel data from the LinkedIn Economic Graph Research Institute and Egon Zehnder, alongside case studies and insights from leaders across business, government, academia and civil society.

To support action, the report presents a future-fit framework for senior leadership parity, organized around four pillars: redefining leadership capabilities, rewiring power pathways, building fair selection systems and redesigning the conditions under which leadership is exercised. The aim is to equip business and policy leaders with evidence-based insights and practical levers to build more inclusive, resilient and future-ready leadership systems.

License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.