Women fear falling between the cracks in the race for senior leadership roles

With flexible and hybrid working allowing more women to combine caring responsibilities with their careers, the CBI and the University of South Wales (USW) have warned many females may be falling between the cracks when it comes to senior leadership roles.

Wales’ leading business group has teamed up with the highly regarded university for their latest bi-annual survey of the persistent barriers women face in reaching the top jobs in business and other professions.

More than 200 employees from a range of firms, other organisations and sectors in Wales took part in the CBI-USW survey for 'The 2026 Women’s Leadership Benchmark for Wales,' published today (15 October).

Despite flexible and hybrid ways of working offering many benefits to female employees, not least better enabling of childcare or other caring duties, 57% of respondents believe flexible workers are ‘less visible’ to their managers and other senior leaders in the workplace – and may miss out on promotion opportunities as a result.

The report's co-authors Dr Lauren Josie Thomas, the university’s lead researcher on identity, culture and organisational behaviours, colleagues Jayde Howard, an HR and leadership lecturer, and Dr Shehla Khan, a gender and workplace inclusion specialist, benchmarked progress on gender equality and inclusivity in the workplace against similar research conducted by the university and the CBI two years ago.

Dr Thomas will present the findings to the CBI Wales Women in Leadership Network AGM at Browne Jacobson in Cardiff today.

Survey results include:

• Flexible working continues to provide support for women looking to enter leadership roles, with 65% agreeing with this view (up from 53% in 2024).
• The level of caring responsibility pressures on women in leadership remain unchanged, but 57% believe that flexible working makes them ‘less visible’ to managers and senior leaders in the workplace.
• Most respondents (79%) believe that their organisation actively supports gender equality, but only 46% say it is accountable for progress on equality.
• The survey finds near-universal acceptance of women’s leadership capabilities. But the findings say this not being matched by consistent improvements in gender equality

The report also finds:

(1) Employees are ambitious, but fewer believe promotion pathways are clear

Only 39% (44% in 2024) of respondents reported that promotion pathways were clear.

• Fewer than half (48% - a one per cent drop on 2024’s findings) say that promotion is based purely on qualifications and performance.
• Six in 10 respondents not in leadership or management roles want to lead, but they also remain unclear about progression opportunities.
• More than three-quarters (75%) of people are confident that they can speak to a more senior colleague about their promotion prospects, but only 66% know exactly who to talk to about this issue.

(2) Recognition of inequality is outpacing the scale of workplace change

• Almost all (93%) survey respondents believe organisations benefit from gender equality.
• There is wider recognition of the negative impacts of unconscious bias - 94% say that bias can affect whether women are appointed to leadership or management roles. In addition, 95% agree it can affect how confident women are about putting themselves forward for career progression.
• Work is still needed to improve workplace gender issues, with eight per cent of survey respondents reporting a rise in gender discrimination
• More than one-quarter (26%) of employees say they have been given unfair tasks based on their gender.

(3) Female leadership is highly prized – but fewer people believe women are taken as seriously as men in the top jobs

• Almost all (98%) of respondents believe women are as effective as men in senior leadership roles, but this falls to 78% who say female leaders are taken as seriously as men in the workplace.

(4) Support for gender equality is strong – but question marks linger about delivery

• A majority (79%) of respondents believe that their organisation supports gender equality, with 67% agreeing that their employer takes the issue seriously. Fewer than half (46%) claim their employer is accountable for progress on gender equality.

Key recommendations for employers:

1. Review whether employees working flexibly retain access to learning, visible work, senior colleagues, networks, sponsorship and progression - and whether arrangements remain sustainable alongside their workload and caring responsibilities.
2. Help employees better understand how career development is linked to opportunity.
3. Move beyond measuring support for gender equality and review how this impacts decisions and interactions with employees.

Katie Spackman, CBI Wales Deputy Director, said:

“The report highlights that talent and self-belief are not enough. Women seeking career progression to senior leadership roles must have personal drive and ambition matched by clear and obvious opportunity. Businesses and other organisations must provide a clear route to progression and ensure women who work flexibly are ‘visible’ to managers and senior leaders who make key promotion decisions.

“I’m hugely proud of our collaboration with the University of South Wales and for helping to bring awareness and understanding of the key barriers preventing female employees from fulfilling their full potential. Our thanks go to Dr Thomas and her team, as well as the CBI Wales Women in Leadership Network, for their hard work since the group was formed in 2023.

“Our message is clear: progress can’t wait. Leaders of businesses and other organisations across Wales must kick-start discussions now about the issues the report raises. Women can’t just aspire to lead – they must have more visible opportunities to do justice to their careers.”

Dr Lauren Josie Thomas, Business Research and Innovation Group Lead, the University of South Wales/Prifysgol De Cymru, said:

“Capability clearly isn’t the problem: 98% of people surveyed believe women are just as effective as men in senior leadership, yet only 78% believe women leaders are taken as seriously. The question is no longer whether women can lead, but whether workplaces consistently recognise that capability and turn it into
opportunity and progression.

“This is research for Wales, not simply about Wales. We are building an evidence base that employers, policymakers and organisations can act on. Flexible working should be a bridge to progression, not a barrier to being seen, and a policy on paper is not the same as progress in practice. Our next task will be to examine where these gaps emerge, why they persist and what organisations can do to close them.”