Women in Business 2026: The value of visibility

For 22 years, Grant Thornton International has been providing a unique perspective on the position of women in the management of medium-sized companies through its global Women in Business study. The current edition for 2026 highlights a significant theme: visibility as a source of value. Long-term data shows that investing in gender equality is not an idealistic gesture, but a strategy that attracts future employees, strengthens innovation, and increases business performance.

Investing in gender equality is a proven driver of performance and a competitive advantage. This year’s Women in Business research shows that mid-market firms who are maintaining their gender equality initiatives and plan to implement new ones were the most likely to report significant growth in revenue and staff numbers. Investors are looking for gender-balanced leadership, or a commitment to achieving it, and employees view it as a reason to join or stay.

Despite many large organizations retreating from diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in 2024/25, mid market leaders remain committed: 92.7% have DE&I initiatives in place, and three-quarters continue to prioritize gender equality. This commitment is grounded not in ideals, but in business pragmatism. Gender balanced leadership drives sharper decision making, strengthens innovation and accelerates growth. But, to unlock these benefits, leaders must invest visibly in female talent and clearly communicate the commercial value of diverse leadership.

And visibility matters. When women see leaders who look like them, they believe advancement is possible. When future talent sees gender equality embedded in strategy, they choose to join and stay. And when the data explicitly shows that firms investing in gender equality initiatives outperform their peers, the global economy benefits.

Yet the continuing conundrum is that change remains slow. Data from this year’s report shows a small drop of 1.1pp to 32.9% of women in senior management. We’ve seen the percentage reduce and bounce back in previous years, but neither businesses nor the women who work within them can afford a further drop.

Investing in gender diversity is investing in growth and we recommend businesses:

• Use impact to accelerate gender parity and business success
• Elevate diverse voices to advance gender parity
• Increase visibility to unlock opportunity and attract talent

Be a source of visibility too

Visible female leadership and commitment to gender equality can help accelerate progress toward gender parity in mid-market leadership. Read the full report to learn more about the value of visibility and the positive impact gender-balanced leadership can have.

View the full report

Here are all companies rolling back DEI programs – Forbes