Women are getting in, but not getting on: six in ten UK employers fail to progress or retain women in line with their 49% share of the UK workforce banner

Women are getting in, but not getting on: six in ten UK employers fail to progress or retain women in line with their 49% share of the UK workforce

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Gender pay gap reckoning looms: new report sets out how employers can prove they are driving female progression

 Women are being hired but not promoted, according to the 2026 Women in Work Gender Equity Measure (WiW GEM) Report, produced with LinkedIn. Its findings, which combine LinkedIn analysis of 3,855 UK employers with Women in Work’s tracking of 400 of the UK's largest companies, will be discussed at the WiW Summit in London on 8th October.

  • Six in ten UK employers fail to progress or retain women in line with their 49% UK workforce representation, reveals LinkedIn analysis.
  • 65% of senior roles are filled from outside the organisation, from male-skewed talent pools, with external hiring widening the gender gap. Meanwhile, 43% of new senior leadership appointments go to women.
  • Women account for 49% of manager-level talent but just 40% of promotions into senior leadership, showing the pipeline narrows well before the boardroom. At 61% of companies, women are underrepresented in VP-level roles and above.
  • 90% of CEO appointments (55 of 62) last year went to men, shows analysis of 400 of the UK's largest companies assessed by the third annual WiW GEM Report.

When women rise, pay gaps fall: the Female Progression Drop

With new gender pay gap legislation coming into force from April 2027, employers will be required to show measurable action, not just transparency. The report introduces a new metric – the Female Progression Drop. Based on analysis of nine years of gender pay gap data, it shows the difference between women's overall representation within a company, compared to their representation among its highest-paid employees, and how this affects the gender pay gap. 

Almost a decade after gender pay gap reporting became mandatory in the UK, the metric provides a clear way to test whether women are progressing through an organisation, or whether their representation falls as pay and seniority increase. The report argues that tracking this progression gap alongside the gender pay gap can give employers a clearer indication of whether their interventions are driving change. 

Which employers are stopping the drop?

Data and case studies in the report, including Lush and Octopus Energy, show how some employers have stopped this drop, with women among top earners nearing their overall workforce representation. 

Of the 400 companies assessed by WiW this year, the number meeting all three GEM benchmarks (a pay gap below 15%, at least 33% women on the board, and a publicly available parental leave policy) rose 13%, from 121 to 137. 

Eleven trailblazers go further, with pay gaps under 1% and boards that are at least 50% female: Aramark, Bunzl, Costco, Diageo, Haleon, H&M, Lush, Octopus Energy, Rolls-Royce, Severn Trent and Spirax Sarco. 

What's driving better progression?

The report finds companies closing their pay gaps are not simply hiring more women: they are retaining them, promoting them, and supporting them into senior, better-paid roles.

WiW 100 companies are 2.5 times more likely to offer equal parental leave, and nearly two-thirds offer 20+ weeks’ paid maternity leave. Meanwhile, 86% now offer menopause support, doubling in a single year.

Alongside support for flexible working and caregiving leave, LinkedIn analysis identifies three structural ways employers can improve female progression: break down gender divides in roles, ensure women are represented at every level, and give women better access to senior networks.

Mariella Frostrup, Co-Founder, Women in Work, said:

“After almost a decade of pay gap reporting, we know how big the problem is. Now we can see where it takes hold. Women are getting in, but they're not getting on.

“Any business serious about closing its pay gap has to look beyond who it hires and ask who it promotes, and who gets into the rooms where decisions are made. The continued growth of the WiW 100 proves this can change. The employers getting it right are creating the conditions for women to move beyond entry level, unlocking talent their competitors are overlooking.”

Janine Chamberlin, UK Country Manager, LinkedIn, said:

"Highly qualified women are driving exceptional results in businesses right across the UK, but too often the people making promotion decisions never see it. Our data shows that where women have stronger connections across teams and seniority levels, they're 7.5% more likely to progress into leadership. 

“Progression isn't only about performance. It's about access, and who gets the tap on the shoulder. Every employer can start changing that today. Sponsorship, cross-functional moves and real visibility with senior leaders aren't nice-to-haves. They're how we keep women moving through the pipeline, especially that crucial step from manager into senior leadership, and how we finally close the pay gap." 

Rowena Bird, Co-founder, Lush, said: 

"Progression has always been about making sure people can see a future for themselves in a business.

“We’re a bricks and mortar high street business and many of our people work with us in one of the Lush factories or in retail. A lot of them start working for Lush at Christmas and stay beyond. We’re incredibly proud that people can build long and fulfilling careers with Lush.

“To be recognised as a Women in Work Trailblazer for the second-year running is a real honour. It reflects what we’ve always wanted Lush to be – to build a culture where passion and commitment are what gets noticed, whatever route someone took to get there."

To read the full 2026 Women in Work GEM Report, visit here.  The report also includes a case study on Lewis Silkin's approach in the legal sector.