Women’s leadership, a major competitive advantage

Gender equality and women in leadership have become critical priorities for organizations worldwide, not only for achieving justice and equity but also because of their proven impact on business performance. Companies with female business leadership consistently demonstrate higher profitability and better talent retention rates.

Understanding the importance of female leadership is therefore essential for any organisation that aspires to remain competitive.

While the gender gap is a hot topic in public debate, the representation of women in companies has not noticeably improved, especially in positions of high responsibility. 

The numbers don’t lie. According to the IMF’s Global Center Gap Report 2025, only 35.4 % of working women hold leadership positions. In other words, men occupy 64.6 % of the most influential positions.  

Across the world, only 35.4 % of working women hold leadership positions

The current situation of female leadership reflects progress, but also the need to accelerate change. There is still a long way to go. 

Understanding female leadership: Definition and evolution

Women’s leadership is defined as the participation of women in positions of power and decision-making in companies.   

The concept was developed by Marilyn Loden, Sally Helgesen, and Helen Fisher over 40 years ago and has reinvigorated the debate on gender equality in recent years. 

As early as 1978, Marilyn Loden coined the term “glass ceiling”, arguing that the barriers to women's career aspirations and opportunities were mostly cultural rather than personal or psychological.  

Loden challenged the tendency of many women to adhere to a masculine leadership style to fit into the dominant system. She defended a different way of leading more in line with the positive characteristics traditionally attributed to women. 

In this context, the concept of conscious female leadership has also emerged, advocating for the exercise of power based on authenticity, emotional intelligence, and purpose. This approach encourages women to lead based on their own values, without needing to imitate traditionally masculine patterns, integrating female leadership development and empowerment as pillars of a new organisational culture.

Leading with vision: The impact of women in entrepreneurship

Characteristics of women’s leadership 

According to these three authors, the characteristics of female leadership are particularly evident in four areas:

• Listening
• Empathy
• Communication 
• Teamwork

In addition to these qualities, female leadership often incorporates a more holistic view of management, prioritising collective well-being and the sustainability of long-term decisions. These characteristics are not exclusive to women, but various studies indicate that they tend to manifest more frequently in female leadership styles.

What female leadership brings to organisations

Now that we have clarified the concept of female leadership, let's delve deeper into the traits that define it and the value it brings to companies.

Enhanced communication skills

Women leaders typically demonstrate exceptional listening abilities and clear, empathetic communication that fosters open dialogue and transparency within teams.

Collaborative approach

In general, the management style exercised by women is more open to people and to establishing collaborative links between employees. Among the talents of female leadership are the ability to work in a team and the ability to bring the group together.

Empathy and emotional intelligence

The ability to understand and respond to team members' needs creates psychologically safe workplaces where innovation and creativity flourish.

Holistic management perspective

Women leaders frequently adopt long-term, sustainable approaches to decision-making that consider collective well-being alongside business outcomes.

Commitment to diversity and equity

In addition, women tend to be more concerned with diversity and equity within organisational structures, which results in a healthier work environment that is more committed to collective goals.

Female managers prioritise support, training and an inclusive culture as real levers for change

Developing female leadership skills

In this year's edition of the Esade Gender Monitor 2025, the measures that female professionals consider most transformative are support programmes (mentoring, coaching and sponsoring, 15%), management skills training (13%) and initiatives that promote an inclusive culture (12%). This collaborative approach, characteristic of female business leadership, benefits team cohesion and improves the organisational climate.

Among the qualities traditionally associated with male leadership are assertive communication, strategic ability and competitive spirit. However, none of these skills are innate: they can all be developed with the right training. In this regard, business schools such as Esade already offer female leadership courses to develop women's management skills and help them achieve excellence. These programs also address key female leadership questions about navigating corporate hierarchies, influencing decision-making, and fostering inclusive teams.

Management skills are not innate. They can be learned

Female leadership in Spain: Current situation

According to Grant Thornton's Women in Business study, which analyses the situation of women in senior management positions in mid-market companies globally, 34% of management positions worldwide are held by women, an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared to 2024. 

In Europe, this figure reaches 34.9%, placing the region above the global average. Spain remains in line with these figures thanks, in part, to regulatory advances. As Isabel Perea, audit partner at Grant Thornton Spain, points out: "Regulatory changes, such as the promotion of quotas and pro-equality regulations, have driven significant progress in the roles occupied by women. But there has also been an important cultural shift: gender diversity is no longer perceived as an obligation, but as something of strategic value".

The report also reveals progress in specific roles at a global level:

• HR directors: 47.6% are women (+1.9% compared to 2024)
• Chief financial officers (CFOs): 44.6% (+5.7% compared to 2024)
• CEOs or managing directors: 21.7% (+2.6% compared to 2024)

However, the pace of progress remains insufficient. At the current rate, parity in management positions will not be achieved until 2051, which means that a woman starting her professional career today will have to wait more than 25 years to work in a company with balanced management teams.

On the other hand, only 4.1 % of mid-market companies have no women in their senior management teams, compared to 6.7 % the previous year. Although this is positive, the gap widens in traditionally male-dominated sectors and in unlisted companies, where the reality is even more discouraging.

Barriers to female leadership in companies 

The Esade Gender Monitor 2025 reveals a mixed picture in terms of barriers to female leadership. On the one hand, 29% of the female executives surveyed say they have not encountered any barriers in the last year attributable to being a woman. On the other hand, those who do perceive barriers cite the following as the main obstacles:

• Conscious and unconscious biases: 27%
• Difficulty balancing personal, professional and family life: 17%
• Lack of recognition for work done: 12%
• Invisibility for internal promotion: 6%

These percentages, which are lower than those recorded in previous editions, could indicate some improvement in the working environment. However, 82% of those surveyed continue to perceive unequal treatment in favour of men in access to senior positions.

Leadership continues to be perceived as a male domain

When asked specifically about the obstacles women face in accessing senior management positions, the responses point to structural factors within the organisational system itself:

• Women do not generate formal and informal support networks: 28%
• Opting for middle management positions to achieve a better work-life balance: 20%
• Difficulty combining caregiving with the demands of the job: 17%
• Lack of female role models in senior management: 17%
• Culture that assumes women are less committed to their families: 15%

The absence of female role models in senior management remains a key factor. With only 22% of women occupying the highest positions of responsibility in the companies analysed, it is difficult to inspire new generations of professionals who aspire to female leadership in companies.

Benefits of women’s leadership 

According to the study The Business Case for Change of the World Labor Organization, companies that adequately work on parity in managerial positions gain key competitive advantages over those that do not: 

• They increase profits by 5 to 20%.
• They show greater innovation and creativity.
• They have a better external image and reputation.   
• They retain and attract talent more effectively. 

The presence of women in managerial positions increases profits by 5% to 20% 

The benefits of female leadership transcend economics: they improve the working environment, foster more inclusive organisational cultures and contribute to more balanced and representative decision-making.

From all standpoints, it would appear that achieving equality in positions of responsibility is an inescapable duty for companies, both in terms of ethics and competitiveness.

How to increase female leadership in your company

What measures and changes should be taken so that the other 50% of the population is also represented in corporations’ strategic direction? How can we expedite company equality policies? 

According to Esade's Women Initiative, the actions most valued by the female executives surveyed to promote equal opportunities include: 

• Boosting coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring (48.3%)
• Incentivizing training in management skills (38.1%)
• Promoting flexible hours (37.3%)
• Encouraging an inclusive business culture and sense of belonging (34%) 

Encouraging an inclusive business culture and sense of belonging (34%) But, above all, it seems clear that to achieve this companies must consider doing so an indisputable strategic priority. “They have to believe it”, says Eugenia Bieto, director of the Esade Women Initiative and promoter of the Esade Gender Monitor. 

And we’ve seen that when these changes are led by a woman, progress in equality happens much more quickly.   

When the changes are led by a woman, progress happens much more quickly

Women’s leadership courses and master’s programs 

To promote women's access to senior management positions and teach all the necessary skills, the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) and Esade led Proyecto Promociona, a women’s leadership program aimed at inspiring an entire generation of women.  

Likewise, Esade has a renowned Executive MBA program, rated among the world’s top 10 and which combines flexibility, support for a growth mindset, a clear global focus, and a personalized coaching program (LEAD) to fully enhance your leadership skills.