2025 marked a visible shift in the global power balance—but not a decisive one. Women moved closer to the centre of decision-making across boardrooms, parliaments and sporting bodies, setting fresh records in leadership and visibility. Yet, despite these gains, true parity remained elusive, underscoring how progress and imbalance continued to coexist.

Across sectors, women were no longer confined to symbolic representation. They led companies, ran countries, rewrote sporting economics and delivered commercial outcomes. But data from corporate leadership, politics and venture funding showed that while doors opened wider in 2025, they did not open evenly.

Boardrooms: Records Broken, Gaps Persist

Corporate leadership remained one of the most closely watched barometers of gender progress. According to Fortune, 55 women led Fortune 500 companies in 2025, up from 52 the previous year—the highest number on record. Yet this milestone also revealed the scale of the challenge: women still accounted for just about 11% of CEOs at America’s largest companies.

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