--- title: Six in Ten UK Employers Are Losing Women Before They Reach Senior Leadership description: Women are 49% of UK managers but only 40% of promotions into senior leadership. Where the gender progression pipeline actually breaks, and what to check first. image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551836022-4c4c79ecde51?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMDE3MjIwfDB8MXxzZWFyY2h8MXx8YnVzaW5lc3N3b21lbiUyMG1lZXRpbmclMjBsZWFkZXJzaGlwfGVufDB8MHx8fDE3OTE1MzA4NDh8Mg&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080 --- [Skip to content](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/blog/six-in-ten-uk-employers-are-losing-women-before-they-reach-senior-leadership#main-content) [![Logo - Human by Practice](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20dark%20transparent.png?width=600&height=221&name=logo%20dark%20transparent.png)Homepage](https://humanbypractice.co.uk) - [Home](https://humanbypractice.co.uk) - [About](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/about-human-by-practice) - [Services](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/services) - [Diversity & Inclusion, Neurodiversity & Culture Training](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-dei-neurodiversity-and-culture-training) - [Leadership & Management Training](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/leadership-and-management-training) - [Coaching](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/coaching-services) - [DEI Strategy, Audit & Culture Diagnostic](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/dei-strategy-diagnostics-and-culture-consulting) - [Core Training](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/edi-training-leadership-programmes-management-training) - [Everyday Inclusion & Belonging](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/everyday-inclusion-and-belonging-training) - [Sexual Harassment Prevention](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/sexual-harassment-prevention-training) - [Manager Essentials](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/manager-essentials-training) - [Leading Inclusion & Culture](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/leading-inclusion-and-culture-training) - [Human-Centred Leadership](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/human-centred-leadership-training) - [Banter, Harassment, Bullying & Boundaries](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/banter-harassment-bullying-boundaries-training) - [Neurodiversity & Accessibility](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/neurodiversity-neuro-inclusion-training) - [Allyship & Active Bystander](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/allyship-and-active-bystander-skills-training) - [Inclusive Recruitment & Decision Making](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/inclusive-recruitment-and-decision-making-training) - [Aspiring Leaders Modular Programme](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/aspiring-leaders-leadership-development-programme) - [Leading the Future Modular Programme](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/leading-the-future-leadership-development-programme) - [Contact](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/contact) - [Blog](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/blog) - [Home](https://humanbypractice.co.uk) - [About](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/about-human-by-practice) - [Services](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/services) - [Diversity & Inclusion, Neurodiversity & Culture Training](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-dei-neurodiversity-and-culture-training) - [Leadership & Management Training](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/leadership-and-management-training) - [Coaching](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/coaching-services) - [DEI Strategy, Audit & Culture Diagnostic](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/dei-strategy-diagnostics-and-culture-consulting) - [Core Training](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/edi-training-leadership-programmes-management-training) - [Everyday Inclusion & Belonging](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/everyday-inclusion-and-belonging-training) - [Sexual Harassment Prevention](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/sexual-harassment-prevention-training) - [Manager Essentials](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/manager-essentials-training) - [Leading Inclusion & Culture](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/leading-inclusion-and-culture-training) - [Human-Centred Leadership](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/human-centred-leadership-training) - [Banter, Harassment, Bullying & Boundaries](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/banter-harassment-bullying-boundaries-training) - [Neurodiversity & Accessibility](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/neurodiversity-neuro-inclusion-training) - [Allyship & Active Bystander](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/allyship-and-active-bystander-skills-training) - [Inclusive Recruitment & Decision Making](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/inclusive-recruitment-and-decision-making-training) - [Aspiring Leaders Modular Programme](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/aspiring-leaders-leadership-development-programme) - [Leading the Future Modular Programme](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/leading-the-future-leadership-development-programme) - [Contact](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/contact) - [Blog](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/blog) ☎  +44 (0) 333 33 55 318    **@**   hello@humanbypractice.co.uk ![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551836022-4c4c79ecde51?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMDE3MjIwfDB8MXxzZWFyY2h8MXx8YnVzaW5lc3N3b21lbiUyMG1lZXRpbmclMjBsZWFkZXJzaGlwfGVufDB8MHx8fDE3OTE1MzA4NDh8Mg&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080) gender culture change Inclusive Workplaces # Six in Ten UK Employers Are Losing Women Before They Reach Senior Leadership ![Jess Sandham](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/f3e718f0208c41d2455e73d3b4d42e4c) Jess Sandham October 23, 2026 Women now make up 49% of manager-level talent in UK organisations. That figure drops to 40% once you look at who actually gets promoted into senior leadership. A new report, the 2026 Women in Work Gender Equity Measure, produced with LinkedIn, found that six in ten UK employers fail to progress or retain women at a rate that matches their share of the workforce. The gap does not open at the boardroom door. It opens several rungs below it. ![Two women in business suits standing together in an office corridor](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1573496130141-209d200cebd8?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMDE3MjIwfDB8MXxzZWFyY2h8NHx8YnVzaW5lc3N3b21lbiUyMG1lZXRpbmclMjBsZWFkZXJzaGlwfGVufDB8MHx8fDE3OTE1MzA4NDh8Mg&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080) Photo by [Christina @ wocintechchat.com](https://unsplash.com/@wocintechchat?utm_source=human_by_practice&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=human_by_practice&utm_medium=referral) ## The Leak Starts at Manager Level Most diversity reporting looks at the top of the organisation first: how many women sit on the board, how many hold the CEO title. That framing misses where the loss actually happens. The data shows women reach parity at manager level and then stall. Promotions into senior leadership consistently favour men, even where the talent pool one level down is balanced. An equity audit that only checks headline board numbers will miss this completely. The real diagnostic question is simple: at every promotion point between manager and director, who gets through and who doesn't. ![Two women in a one-to-one conversation seated in office chairs](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551836022-4c4c79ecde51?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMDE3MjIwfDB8MXxzZWFyY2h8MXx8YnVzaW5lc3N3b21lbiUyMG1lZXRpbmclMjBsZWFkZXJzaGlwfGVufDB8MHx8fDE3OTE1MzA4NDh8Mg&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080) Photo by [Amy Hirschi](https://unsplash.com/@amyhirschi?utm_source=human_by_practice&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=human_by_practice&utm_medium=referral) ## External Hiring Compounds the Problem The same report found that 65% of senior hires are made externally, drawing from talent pools skewed toward men. This matters because it changes where the fix needs to happen. An organisation that promotes internally at a skewed rate can at least see the pattern in its own data. One that hires externally at the same skewed rate can tell itself the problem sits outside its control: in the market, in the pipeline, in who applies. It doesn't. External hiring decisions are still decisions an employer makes, with criteria an employer sets. If a company's internal promotion pipeline is losing women and its external hiring is also skewed, the two problems reinforce each other instead of cancelling out. ![A woman presenting data to a group of colleagues in a meeting room](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1758691736545-5c33b6255dca?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMDE3MjIwfDB8MXxzZWFyY2h8MXx8d29tYW4lMjBwcmVzZW50aW5nJTIwb2ZmaWNlJTIwdGVhbXxlbnwwfDB8fHwxNzkxNTMwODQ4fDI&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080) Photo by [Vitaly Gariev](https://unsplash.com/@silverkblack?utm_source=human_by_practice&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=human_by_practice&utm_medium=referral) ## What an Equity Audit Should Actually Check Most organisations already track representation at entry level and at the top. Few track promotion rate by level, broken down by gender. Fewer still compare internal promotion rates with external hiring rates for the same type of role. Those three data points are exactly what HBP's equity audits are built to examine. A pay gap analysis alone will not catch this. A promotion-rate analysis will. This is a leadership training issue as much as a data issue. Managers making promotion recommendations need clear, consistent criteria, not a vague sense of who "feels ready" for the next step. Left undefined, that judgement call defaults to patterns that already exist in the business, which is exactly how a 49% workforce share turns into a 40% promotion rate. ## Look in the Middle of the Organisation, Not Just the Top UK employers have spent several years treating gender equity as a reporting exercise: publish the gender pay gap figures, note the board composition, move on. The newest data makes clear that the real story sits in the middle of the organisation, in the promotions that happen at manager and director level, well before anyone reaches a board report. Employers that want to close the gap need to look there first, before the pipeline reaches its end. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fhumanbypractice.co.uk%2Fblog%2Fsix-in-ten-uk-employers-are-losing-women-before-they-reach-senior-leadership](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fhumanbypractice.co.uk%2Fblog%2Fsix-in-ten-uk-employers-are-losing-women-before-they-reach-senior-leadership) ## Keep reading ### [![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1573879409095-e47e5759ed0f?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMDE3MjIwfDB8MXxzZWFyY2h8Mnx8d29ya3BsYWNlJTIwYWNjZXNzaWJpbGl0eSUyMHN1cHBvcnR8ZW58MHwwfHx8MTc5MjU2NzQ4OHwy&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080) legislative changes Inclusive Workplaces Why Managers Can Now Be Personally Liable for Reasonable Adjustment Failures](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/blog/why-managers-can-now-be-personally-liable-for-reasonable-adjustment-failures) ### [![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1556742049-0cfed4f6a45d?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMDE3MjIwfDB8MXxzZWFyY2h8M3x8cmV0YWlsJTIwY3VzdG9tZXIlMjBzZXJ2aWNlJTIwd29ya2VyfGVufDB8MHx8fDE3OTEzNTc5Nzh8Mg&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080) sexual harassment prevention legislative changes speak up Third-Party Harassment Is Where the New Duty Gets Difficult](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/blog/third-party-harassment-is-where-the-new-duty-gets-hard) ![Social Proof](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-03-19%20at%2011.38.24.png?width=800&height=313&name=Screenshot%202026-03-19%20at%2011.38.24.png "Social Proof") ![IoL Logo-1](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/IoL%20Logo-1.png?width=1186&height=692&name=IoL%20Logo-1.png "IoL Logo-1") ## Ready to get started? [Enquire now](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/contact) - [Home](https://humanbypractice.co.uk) - [About](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/about-human-by-practice) - [Services](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/services) - [Core Training](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/edi-training-leadership-programmes-management-training) - [Contact](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/contact) - [Blog](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/blog) Human by Practice delivers diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training, neurodiversity and neuro-inclusion training, leadership coaching, inclusive leadership workshops, and culture change consultancy. We're based in Edinburgh but work across the UK and beyond. We help organisations build equitable, confident, human-centred workplaces.   Sign up to the [newsletter](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/newsletter) for the latest insights. Email: [hello@humanbypractice.co.uk](mailto:hello@humanbypractice.co.uk) Phone: +44 (0) 333 33 55 318   [Privacy Policy](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/privacy-policy) · [Terms of Use](https://humanbypractice.co.uk/terms-of-use) · © 2025 Human by Practice Ltd All rights reserved. SC761035 ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jess Sandham", "url" : "https://humanbypractice.co.uk/blog/author/jess-sandham" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-23T12:48:53.951Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-23T12:48:53.000Z", "headline" : "Six in Ten UK Employers Are Losing Women Before They Reach Senior Leadership", "image" : [ "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551836022-4c4c79ecde51?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMDE3MjIwfDB8MXxzZWFyY2h8MXx8YnVzaW5lc3N3b21lbiUyMG1lZXRpbmclMjBsZWFkZXJzaGlwfGVufDB8MHx8fDE3OTE1MzA4NDh8Mg&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://humanbypractice.co.uk/blog/six-in-ten-uk-employers-are-losing-women-before-they-reach-senior-leadership", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://humanbypractice.co.uk/hubfs/logo%20dark%20transparent.png" }, "name" : "Human by Practice Ltd." } } ```