International Women’s Day 2025 carries the powerful theme: ‘Accelerate action’ for gender equality. According to the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158—roughly five generations from now—to achieve full gender parity.
The UN Women’s latest Gender Snapshot 2024 highlights the significant economic benefits the world is missing by failing to achieve gender equality. Closing gender gaps in education and skills could contribute an additional $10 trillion to the global economy, while bridging the digital gender divide could save over $500 billion.
In the past 50 years, the world has made various advancements in women’s empowerment – the number of women serving as executive heads of state has increased from four in 1995 to 13 in 2025 and 2023 was a landmark year for women presidents leading six of the eight top Ivy League schools in the US. The share of women running Fortune 500 companies has for the past several years typically hovered around 10% but increased to 11.6% in January 2025. However, we are still far from achieving true gender equality and these figures are not the result of linear progress; some figures have decreased significantly in 2025.
The gender pay gap remains a persistent issue. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap 2024 report, women currently earn 68.5% of what men earn. For the 101 countries consistently tracked from 2006 to 2024, the gap has improved by just 0.1 percentage point, reaching 68.6%.
The eighth annual HEPI Soft-Power Index measures the number of senior serving world leaders – defined as monarchs, presidents and prime ministers – educated at a higher level in countries other than their own. This year’s results show that 70 serving world leaders received higher education in the US and 58 serving world leaders received higher education in the UK.
Universities must continue to play a critical role in nurturing the next generation of women leaders, both within the academic world and in broader societal roles. To truly accelerate gender equality, universities must implement intentional, systemic changes that ensure women are not only represented but thrive in leadership positions.
Progress in higher education leadership
Climbing up the leadership ladder, fewer women are present in education leadership positions. UNESCO’s 2024/25 Global Education Monitoring Report has reinforced that women are significantly underrepresented in school leadership. On average, the share of female principals in primary and secondary education is at least 20 percentage points lower than the share of female teachers. This gap persists despite numerous studies highlighting the benefits of having women in leadership roles.
Research suggests that women are more likely to be in teaching and administrative positions at the entry and mid-levels than leadership roles.
Data from the ’2024 Global State of Women’s Leadership’ report by HolonIQ shows that 44% of academic staff are women, with that percentage declining for tenured academics (35%) and university leaders (30%). Yet, the momentum is building, and education holds the potential to accelerate change. In 2025, 29% of the world top 100 universities are led by women, including the president and chancellor of the number one university in the world, MIT (QS World University Rankings 2025).
In a study conducted by Forté Foundation and QS GME Proposition Director, Michelle Wieser, 1,172 respondents from 69 top business schools in the US, Canada, and Europe were surveyed about their business school and MBA experience, work culture, and inclusivity.
The study found that 40% of women – compared to 29% of men – felt that a lack of confidence was one of their barriers to leadership. In the workplace, 42% of women said they lacked formal or informal sponsorship (a leader advocating for them), compared to 31% of men. And when it comes to paying attention to the needs of women, only 49% of women versus 70% of men agree that their companies do a good job at this.
This paradox points to the urgent need for initiatives and policies that not only support the pipeline of women into education leadership but also ensure that these women are supported throughout their careers to reach the highest levels of influence and power.
The role of women in EdTech leadership
According to HolonIQ data, the rise of women in EdTech could play a pivotal role in reshaping education globally. Women CEOs in EdTech are slowly increasing, indicating a positive trend. Regional variations exist, with Europe leading, but challenges persist in certain sectors. Women-led EdTech startups, which fuse educational expertise with technology-driven solutions, have the potential to create more inclusive, effective learning environments. These companies bring diverse perspectives to the table, which can ultimately lead to better educational outcomes.
Encouraging more women to enter the EdTech space, whether as CEOs or in other leadership capacities, is crucial for ensuring that the educational technologies of tomorrow serve a diverse range of students and educational institutions. In this way, we can advance not only gender equality in education leadership but also foster educational innovation that benefits all learners.
Aligning gender equality with university sustainability outputs
As universities seek to position themselves at the forefront of social change through sustainable research, partnerships and initiatives, gender equality is integral to this broader definition of social sustainability. The social sustainability category within the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability looks at how universities promote social justice, equality, and diversity on their campuses and in their broader communities.
The rankings encourage institutions to adopt transparent gender equality policies, support women’s career pathways, track and publicise gender diversity in leadership and encourage collaboration for social change.
Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona is a top scoring university for Equality in the QS World University Rankings 2025: Sustainability. The university’s new equality and diversity plan 2025-2028 aims to ‘break new ground’ and emphasises an integration of diverse and inclusive perspectives in teaching, research and knowledge transfer, as well as the carrying out of a salary audit with the goal of guaranteeing effective equal pay policies for women and men.
María José González is Director of the Equality Unit at Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona. She said: “At the heart of the new Equality and Diversity Plan is – on the one hand – a guarantee of non-discrimination on the basis of gender, social class, disability, pregnancy or maternity leave, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and – on the other hand – the integration of the cross-functional principles of equality in teaching, research and knowledge transfer. The ultimate goal is to drive profound cultural change in the academic community, in line with the feminist principles of the institution and the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.”
Supporting women into leadership positions
As universities strive to make an impact on sustainability, advancing gender equality (which is also the UN’s SDG 5) must be a critical focus area. Gender-balanced leadership not only supports the cause of equality but also contributes to the development of more innovative and socially responsible academic institutions.
One of the most effective ways universities can support women into leadership roles is by offering dedicated leadership development programmes that focus on the unique challenges women face. These programmes should include mentorship opportunities, leadership training, and executive coaching, while also fostering the unique qualities women bring to leadership, rather than training them to lead in a predetermined way.
Mentorship is critical in helping women navigate the challenges of rising through the ranks in higher education. However, mentorship should go beyond the conventional advice and include active sponsorship. This means that senior leaders—of all genders—must advocate for talented women, ensuring they receive opportunities for high-profile assignments and promotions. While completing their studies, half of men (50%) said it was easy for them to find a mentor, whereas only 37% of women agreed that finding a mentor was easy. (Forté Foundation study)
There is work to be done in addressing unconscious gender bias in recruitment and promotions. Universities must ensure that hiring committees are trained to identify and overcome biases that may hinder women’s advancement. Universities should implement transparent and equitable criteria, while also recognising and addressing the unique challenges they have likely faced in the process.
For women to advance in leadership roles, universities must provide flexible work arrangements that allow for a healthy work-life balance. This includes offering parental leave, child care facilities, and flexible hours. These measures not only support women in leadership but contribute to a broader culture of inclusivity that benefits all employees.
Celebrating and promoting the diverse leadership styles that women—and other minorities—bring to the table is important for ensuring a more inclusive environment. Focus must be given to changing the system to create an inclusive culture of leadership. “It is the system that needs an overhaul, not women” – Gloria Blackwell, CEO of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) (Chronicle).
With collective effort, bold action, and a commitment to systemic change, we can build a future where women’s leadership in education is not the exception but the norm. Where women feel enabled to lead, communities flourish, opportunities expand, and progress accelerates for all.
