Women fear ‘falling between the cracks’ in the race for senior leadership roles, report finds

With flexible and hybrid working allowing more women to combine caring responsibilities with their careers, the CBI and the University of South Wales (USW) have warned that many females may be falling between the cracks when it comes to senior leadership roles.

USW has worked with CBI Wales on their latest bi-annual survey of the persistent barriers women face in reaching the top jobs in business and other professions.

More than 200 employees from a range of firms, other organisations and sectors in Wales took part in the CBI-USW survey for The 2026 Women’s Leadership Benchmark for Wales, launched yesterday (15 October).

Despite flexible and hybrid ways of working offering many benefits to female employees, not least better enabling of childcare or other caring duties, 57% of respondents believe flexible workers are ‘less visible’ to their managers and other senior leaders in the workplace – and may miss out on promotion opportunities as a result.

The USW research team – Dr Lauren Josie Thomas, Business Research and Innovation lead; Jayde Howard, lecturer in Business Management; and Dr Shehla Khan, senior lecturer in HR management – benchmarked progress on gender equality and inclusivity in the workplace against similar research conducted by the university and the CBI two years ago.

Survey results include:

• Flexible working continues to provide support for women looking to enter leadership roles, with 65% agreeing with this view (up from 53% in 2024).
• The level of caring responsibility pressures on women in leadership remain unchanged, but 57% believe that flexible working makes them ‘less visible’ to managers and senior leaders in the workplace.
• Most respondents (79%) believe that their organisation actively supports gender equality, but only 46% say it is accountable for progress on equality.
• The survey finds near-universal acceptance of women’s leadership capabilities. But the findings say this not being matched by consistent improvements in gender equality.

Key recommendations for employers:

• Review whether employees working flexibly retain access to learning, visible work, senior colleagues, networks, sponsorship and progression - and whether arrangements remain sustainable alongside their workload and caring responsibilities.
• Help employees better understand how career development is linked to opportunity.
• Move beyond measuring support for gender equality and review how this impacts decisions and interactions with employees.

(left-right); Dr Lauren Josie Thomas, Jayde Howard, Adam Wolfe - Relationship Director, Barclays; Chelsea Bond - Audit Director at PwC; Greer Hooper - Head of South Wales Corporate at Barclays; Katie Spackman - Deputy Director of CBI Wales; Carole Greene - ITV's Welsh Business Correspondent; and Dr Shehla Khan

Dr Lauren Josie Thomas said: “Capability clearly isn’t the problem: 98% of people surveyed believe women are just as effective as men in senior leadership, yet only 78% believe women leaders are taken as seriously. The question is no longer whether women can lead, but whether workplaces consistently recognise that capability and turn it into opportunity and progression.

“This is research for Wales, not simply about Wales. We are building an evidence base that employers, policymakers and organisations can act on. Flexible working should be a bridge to progression, not a barrier to being seen, and a policy on paper is not the same as progress in practice. Our next task will be to examine where these gaps emerge, why they persist and what organisations can do to close them.”

Katie Spackman, CBI Wales Deputy Director, added: “The report highlights that talent and self-belief are not enough. Women seeking career progression to senior leadership roles must have personal drive and ambition matched by clear and obvious opportunity. Businesses and other organisations must provide a clear route to progression and ensure women who work flexibly are ‘visible’ to managers and senior leaders who make key promotion decisions.

“I’m hugely proud of our collaboration with the University of South Wales and for helping to bring awareness and understanding of the key barriers preventing female employees from fulfilling their full potential.  Our thanks go to Dr Thomas and her team, as well as the CBI Wales Women in Leadership Network, for their hard work since the group was formed in 2023.

“Our message is clear: progress can’t wait. Leaders of businesses and other organisations across Wales must kick-start discussions now about the issues the report raises. Women can’t just aspire to lead – they must have more visible opportunities to do justice to their careers.”