The (long, slow) March of the woman…
Since 1911, nations around the world have celebrated International Women's Day every March. For some, it's a travesty that we still need a special day to bring attention to 51% of the population.
But love it or hate it, IWD serves a vital purpose in shining a light on the mountain of inequities that still need work.
Unfortunately, as the plethora of reports released in the past month show, progress to parity is slow – and getting slower.
Martha Lane Fox got furious about this in her call to action dedicated to highlighting regression in the tech sector, where “degradation, not just in culture but in the absolute numbers.” Globally, she says, women make up just 26% of the tech workforce. In AI and data roles, that number plummets to 12%. And in leadership? A mere 14%. In the UK, the picture is even bleaker, with just 6% of leadership roles in the tech sector filled by women.
“In an industry that shapes the future of everything – our jobs, our communication, our democracy – half the population is barely represented,” says Lane Fox.
A lack of investment – both in female-founded scaleups, and the pipeline of future talent. “Right now,” she says, “only 27% of female students in the UK consider careers in tech compared to 61% of male. That gap isn't just disappointing; it's devastating for our future workforce.”
Growing Gen Z gender divergence
Young talent was also the focus of Channel 4’s Gen Z: Trends, Truth and Trust, which found growing gender divergence among 13-27-year-olds:
45% of Gen Z men believe “we have gone so far in promoting women’s equality that we are discriminating against men.”
44% think women’s equal rights have “gone far enough.”
58% have confidence in posts from friends and influencers (42%) as much as – and sometimes more than – established journalism.
13% of those being investigated by MI5 for involvement in terrorism are under 18 – a three-fold increase in the past three years, and police have identified a pattern of young men becoming increasingly interested in brutality because of what they have seen online, in a world where false information is promoted for profit and not for public good.
Alex Mahon, C4’s CEO, issued a call to action which includes a trust mark as an indicator of factual, trusted accuracy for content that emerges from professionally produced, regulated media, allowing tech companies, their algorithms, advertisers and consumers to distinguish instantly between what is checked and true, and what is not.
Mahon said: “Gen Z voices will shape the future. We have a responsibility, as public service media, to lead and to act, to restore bonds between young people and reliable sources of information. If not now, then when? And if not us, then who?”
Hot on the heels of the C4 research came the stark Netflix drama Adolescence, an encapsulation of the devastation wreaked when young minds are exposed to misogyny and violence online, with solo viewing exacerbating the impact, making it less likely that content will be censored or questioned.
Five years after the first UK lockdown
Today, five years after Boris Johnson announced the first UK lockdown, beginning years of isolation, loss… and incessant handwashing to minimise the spread of Covid, the impact remains all around us.
The stay-at-home mandates – and rapidly drafted WFH policies – diminished our connections to the outside world, and our own sense of autonomy.
Women’s careers were disproportionately affected by job losses and furlough, partly due to over-representation in some of the worst-hit sectors, including retail, accommodation and food services. Meanwhile, school and nursery closures meant parents now had to juggle Zoom calls with round-the-clock childcare.
Too much labour? The fight for a fairer flex
As the pandemic began, there were hopes that the pivot to remote working would help women achieve a better balance. But the fundamental shift to flex and WFH has proven a double-edged sword, often reinforcing traditional gender roles within households, increasing the domestic burden on women.
Five years later, 28% of the country’s workforce are hybrid working, while 13% are working from home full-time, according to data from the ONS.
Women working flexibly in heterosexual couples in the UK now consistently perform 4-8 hours more housework per week than men. But when men work flexibly, their contribution remains largely unchanged. Tasks like cooking, and cleaning, were primarily done by women in up to 71% of couples, compared to less than 20% where men did these tasks, shows research from Understanding Society’s UK Household Longitudinal Study.
Women today are mainly responsible for childcare in more than half (54%) of couples, while men take on primary responsibility for this role in less than 5% of couples. It was even more pronounced when women used flexible working.
The UK’s problems with childcare – our costs are already some of the highest in the world at 19% of average income – did not begin in 2020. But the chaos of lockdowns exacerbated shortages, which still persist today.
Motherhood – the ultimate career shredder?
Pregnant Then Screwed launched the #careershredder campaign after revealing a sharp increase in the number of women who are potentially pushed out of their job when pregnant, during, or when returning from maternity leave. Up to 74,000 women every year now lose their job for getting pregnant or taking maternity leave – an increase of 37% from 54,000 in 2016.
It's all too ironic that women are being pushed out of the workforce at a time when their very participation could boost the UK’s GDP by £43.5bn by 2030, according to PwC’s 2025 Women in Work Index…
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Workplace gender equality can unlock growth, says PwC’s Women in Work 2025
Could it be our lack of affordable childcare provision that has caused the UK’s drop 18th place in the PwC Women In Work Index, which assesses the progress made towards achieving gender equality at work across 33 OECD countries?
By contrast, Nordic nations such as Iceland and Sweden have consistently topped the rankings, thanks to their childcare policies and proactive government initiatives promoting pay equity and parental support.
For the first time since 2019, the UK is no longer ranked no.1 among the G7 nations – we’re now second behind Canada. Although outpaced by other countries, the report suggests continual improvements in female UK workforce participation rates would lead to an aggregate increase in GDP of approximately £43.5bn by 2030.
“Greater integration of women has the potential not only to boost productivity and economic growth, but also to enhance economic diversity, reduce income inequality and strengthen the overall skills base.”
Still far too few female CEOS, FTSE Women Leaders Review shows
It’s looking rosy at the top, as there’s been a seismic shift in the gender balance of British boards from 9.5% FTSE 350 women board members in 2011, to 43% today, says the FTSE Women Leaders Review.
But despite this overall rise, the proportion of women actually heading up FTSE 100 companies has reached only 10%, with just TEN women at the top. They include Dame Amanda Blanc at Aviva, and Dame Emma Walmsley at pharmaceutical giant GSK.
As The Times reported, there are still far too few female CEOs. Campaign groups such as the 30% Club argue that businesses must resist a Trump-style roll-back on equality.
Lord Mervyn Davies, who chaired the first FTSE review in 2010, said it’s clear that more pressure is needed: “I’m amazed, even today, by how many men I speak to who still don’t get it,” he said.
Pavita Cooper, WiW Summit alumna speaker, and chair of the 30% Club in the UK, warned that the credibility of bosses who had championed diversity would be questioned if they started to backtrack.
“Rolling back on DEI isn’t just about policy changes – it risks undoing hard-won progress and deepening inequality. The business case remains clear,” she said.
And Cooper’s point is demonstrated by MSCI’s report, which proves that companies with more female directors see higher returns…
MSCI’s Women on Boards and Beyond 2024 Progress Report, covered by Management Today, states the business case clearly, with new research that identifies a clear correlation between female representation on boards, and the financial performance of a business.
Companies with 30% (or more) female directors on their boards saw almost 19% higher cumulative returns between July 2019 and September 2024, compared to those with fewer female directors. Nearly half (46%) of global companies have achieved this 30% figure.
Our message is simple: include women fully – or become irrelevant. The economic data is unequivocal. Companies with gender-diverse leadership outperform their competitors. Women bring different perspectives, innovative problem-solving, and a holistic approach to business challenges.
Now let’s embrace that with equal pay and opportunity.
Because gender equality shouldn’t have to wait until 2158.
Our latest research: The WiW Workplace Menopause Progress Report 2025
Last week WiW, in partnership with Menopause Mandate, released the WiW Workplace Menopause Progress Report 2025, an independent review of how 400 of the UK’s largest companies are addressing menopause in the workplace.
Drawing on insights from the Menopause Mandate survey of 14,855 working women, the report provides a clear picture of what’s working, where the gaps are, and how businesses can move beyond good intentions to real, impactful change.
Remember to save the date for Women in Work Summit 2025...
🗓️ Thursday 9th October
📍Kings Place, London
WiW 2025 is more than an event - it’s a movement.
Here’s why you need to be there:
Hear from world-class speakers driving progress.
Connect with thought leaders and innovators.
Discover strategies to embed equity in your organisation.
Celebrate the companies leading the way in inclusion.
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Stay tuned - whether you’re a business leader, policymaker, or advocate, your voice matters. Together, we can create workplaces that work for everyone.
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