The conversation around women in leadership is no longer about whether progress is happening, but about how uneven and fragile that progress remains. According to LinkedIn’s Global Economic Graph, women currently hold 30.6% of leadership roles across 74 countries, a modest number compared to their 43.4% representation in the workforce overall (LinkedIn, 2024). McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2024 report highlights a similar pattern: women account for nearly half of entry-level roles but hold just 29% of C-suite positions (McKinsey, 2024). Fortune 500 companies tell an even starker story, with only 10.4% of CEOs being women as of last year (Catalyst, 2024). Globally, women hold just 6% of CEO roles, 8.4% of board chair positions, and 23.3% of board seats, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC, 2023). Even in the S&P 500, where representation has improved over time, women still account for less than 10% of CEOs in 2025 (Women’s Power Gap, 2025).
Women are starting businesses at record rates, but the playing field remains uneven. A recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, cited in Investopedia, reveals that when ventures fail, female founders are 30% less likely than men to secure funding for a new business. Even after success, women raise 53% less capital on average and face a 27% lower chance of being funded again, often missing out on tens of millions. The data points to entrenched bias, not performance, as the cause of this disparity.
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One of the most glaring manifestations of this double bind is the disparity in funding. According to New Jersey Business Magazine, women of color receive less than 0.2% of venture capital funding, highlighting systemic exclusion. Investors often subject them to heightened scrutiny, questioning their competence and vision while favoring their male counterparts. Studies show that identical business plans are rated lower when attributed to women, particularly women of color unless framed as "innovative." This forces women to overcompensate by emphasizing novelty, a strategy that can be effective but ultimately perpetuates inequity. As reported by the Columbus Dispatch, black women, despite founding 42% of new women-owned businesses, face loan denial rates three times higher than those of white-owned firms.