Championing Women in Leadership: A Path to Progress

In the U.S., women have fought and won the fundamental battle for a seat at the table, both proverbially and literally. Despite this progress, women hold approximately 12% of C-suite positions at publicly traded companies, a figure that slightly decreased from 2022, marking the first decline in their representation since 2005. While women make up half the U.S. population, they represent only about 29% of all executives in the top leadership teams of the S&P 100.

Current representation:

• Overall C-suite: Women hold roughly 12% of C-suite positions across publicly traded U.S. firms.

• S&P 100: Women comprise 29% of all executives in the top leadership teams of the S&P 100.

• CEO roles: Women are CEOs at just 10.4% of Fortune 500 companies.

• “Steppingstone” roles: Women are underrepresented in traditionally "steppingstone" roles like CFO, COO, and P&L leaders, which often lead to CEO positions. For example, women make up only 8% of CiOOs in the S&P 100.

Factors impacting progress: Factors like growing concern about declining fertility rates and the cost-of-living crisis may be slowing progress towards eventual gender parity in C-suite positions, but there is still work to be done to ensure that the effect on women is not disproportionate. Additionally, women of color face a particularly significant gap in C-suite representation. We must build in the support systems that allow women to progress into and succeed in steppingstone roles if we want to ensure a pipeline of future female leaders that reflect the progress we’ve made.

Stewart's commitment to women in leadership: At Stewart, we do an exceptional job at promoting women, supporting their journey, and helping to forge career paths that aren’t comparative dead ends. Ours is an environment where women hold the most senior positions and routinely partner together to drive solutions, growth, and success.

Conclusion: At Stewart, inclusion isn’t merely a standalone value; it’s an intrinsically inseparable part of the culture. We believe that opportunity should be universal, with representation being organically key. Talent is a spectrum, and we strive to recognize and promote talent across every level of that spectrum. There are elements of both motivation and inspiration in equitable representation, the benefits of which are abundantly evident.