IBM study finds hollowing in pipeline for women corporate leaders

The leadership pipeline for women has hollowed out in the middle, according to the newly published report “Women in Leadership: Why Perception Outpaces the Pipeline””and What to Do About It” from the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Institute for Business Value and Chief.

The study polled 2,500 organizations in 12 countries and 10 industries and determined that there has been a small increase in the number of women at the C-suite and board level (now 12% for both) and an increase to 40% representation of women in junior professional/specialist roles (37% in 2021).

However, the pipeline for top leadership positions has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels ”“ 14% representation of women in senior vice president roles (compared to 18% in 2019) and 16% in vice president roles (19% in 2019).

Furthermore, only 45% of organizations surveyed for the report said advancing more women into leadership roles was a corporate priority. Yet respondents estimated their industry will see gender parity in leadership in 10 years ”“ in pre-pandemic 2019, the average industry estimate was 54 years.

“Enabling equity and inclusion gives organizations a competitive edge, yet many companies do not act as if their success depends on it,” said Kelly Chambliss, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Armonk-based IBM Consulting. “To thrive in a rapidly changing world, organizations must prioritize advancing women ”“ and all historically under-represented groups ”“ and take action to challenge structural barriers and unconscious bias.”