Companies Slowing Female Leadership

During the past decade, there has been a push to elect more female leadership on corporate boards, however, according to a new report, that progress may be slowing down.

The report from 50/50 Women on Boards, a nonprofit organization dedicated to equity in corporate governance, found that women held 30.1% of the Russell 3000 Index company board seats in June 2025 – a 0.1% increase from 2024. The report notes that this is the smallest gain in more than a decade.

Despite the slowing momentum for female leadership, the report also noted that Russell 100 companies (the companies that have the largest and most competitive market shares and performances) have, on average, 35% women on their boards. This is a significant increase from the smallest Russell 1000 companies that have, on average, 26% women on their boards.

In addition, companies with female CEOs, chair of the board and other leadership positions were found to have boards that are nearly 48% female and more than 20% people of color.