Some good news regarding women’s progress as senior Leaders comes from the FTSE Women Leaders Review. It found that: 

• FTSE 350 companies have already met the target of women holding on average 40% of board positions, three years earlier than the target of December 2025. Women hold 40.2% of board roles, up from only 9.5% in 2011. 77% of FTSE 100 companies have four or more women on their boards. 
• This means the UK is second globally in terms of percentage of women on boards, behind only France which operates a quota system rather than the voluntary system in the UK. 

Lets not pat ourselves on the back too soon, we still have work to do: 

• The number of women in executive director roles is lagging, with only 13.8% across the FTSE 350. 
• In respect of the four senior roles on the board, being Chair, Senior Independent Director, CEO and CFO, there has been progress in particular in the role of the SID where women now hold 37% of positions in the FTSE 100, but women need to be appointed in greater numbers to these roles. Especially as these are the roles companies will be required to report in their diversity statement under the FCA’s new Listing Rule, increasing the level of ongoing scrutiny. 
• We don’t know the intersectional identities of the women in these roles, are parents, those from ethnically diverse backgrounds, those with disabilities, those from the LGBTQ+ securing these roles or are they falling throigh the cracks? 

Many of the complex barriers to women’s progression still need to be tackled such as family-friendly working practices, a less gendered workplace culture, affordable childcare, job security and equal parenting. Plus, the many biases that women experience in the workplace including greater scrutiny and more harsh judgement on their performance compared with their male peers. To achieve equity, we need to work to counter these challenges. 

And we need intersectional data to understand if ALL women can have the equity of outcomes that are starting to emerge.  I like the definition by the Centre for Intersectional Justice that intersectionality is about fighting discrimination within discrimination, tackling inequalities within inequalities and protecting minorities within minorities 

The sustained focus, attention to intersectional data and quite frankly good leadership by individuals, business, government is whats needed to continue the momentum. 

This will help us to attract, retain, grow and appreciate diverse talent and unlock the full potential open to us all. 

The full report can be found here https://ftsewomenleaders.com/latest-reports/