While there has been progress toward gender equality in business leadership, it remains stubbornly slow. Across the European Union, women held 35.2% of managerial roles in 2024, up from 31.8% a decade earlier, according to the European Commission.
The pattern is echoed worldwide. In the United States, female representation in the highest corporate echelons has improved, but from a low base. The number of women heading companies in the S&P 500 stock market index rose from nine in 2000 to 48 in 2025, according to a report by the Eos Foundation’s Women’s Power Gap Initiative. Within the S&P 100, women account for just 17% of new CEO appointments and hold 24% of executive management roles. The trajectory is upward, but the pace is hardly transformative.
There is a consensus among policymakers that gender equality matters; evidence shows that it benefits competitiveness, talent retention and innovation, as well as obviously being more equitable. Policies including boardroom quotas, parental leave reforms and flexible working policies have all played their role in starting to balance the gender equation.
But is it possible that there is a root cause of inequality that is not being sufficiently addressed: deeply ingrained gender stereotypes that begin early in life and are reinforced, rather than dismantled, through education?
Career expectations take shape early
Research has consistently found that gendered perceptions of careers emerge in childhood. A three-year study by the UK career education body Careers & Enterprise Company indicates that stereotypes begin to shape aspirations as early as the age of six. By the time students reach secondary education, many have already internalised assumptions about which professions are ‘appropriate’ for their gender.
This matters because early perceptions influence subject choices, confidence levels and ultimately career trajectories. Encouragingly, the same study demonstrated that targeted intervention – such as workplace visits and exposure to diverse role models – can significantly broaden horizons. Girls who participated showed a marked increase in interest in fields such as business, finance, law and digital industries, with a 31% increase in interest in business and finance alone. Inversely, traditional leanings towards caring and teaching professions declined.
The implication is clear: stereotypes are learned, and therefore can be unlearned. Education systems have a critical role to play in that process.
The STEM gap and its consequences
Systemic gaps persist in career selection, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Women account for just 35% of STEM graduates worldwide, according to Unesco’s latest Global Education Monitoring Report, and progress over the past decade has been negligible.
In the EU, women outnumber men in higher education overall, but remain significantly under-represented in STEM careers and leadership positions. According to the European Commission’s She Figures report, only 22% of IT doctoral graduates and 9% of inventors are women. Bridging this gap is a major challenge to ensure Europe’s future international competitiveness.
The consequences are visible in the labour market. Women make up just 26% of professionals in data science and artificial intelligence, and 15% in engineering. Within the EU, only one in four women with an IT degree enters a digital occupation, compared with more than half of men.
Education as a systemic lever
If stereotypes begin early and shape educational choices, education must be the primary lever for change. Schools should be environments of possibility – places where students are encouraged to experiment, take risks and explore without preconceived limits.
This requires more than curriculum adjustments; it calls for a cultural shift in how subjects are taught and presented. Teachers need training to recognise and counteract bias. Career guidance must actively challenge traditional pathways. Role models from diverse backgrounds should be visible and accessible.
The challenge extends beyond formal education. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence introduces new risks. Large language models, which are increasingly used to develop educational tools, have been found to reproduce and even amplify existing biases. Without careful oversight, technology could reinforce the very stereotypes that education seeks to dissolve.
The transition from education to the workplace
Even when women overcome educational barriers, disparities persist in professional environments. Research by non-profit educational organisation Forté Foundation has highlighted how inequalities widen over time among MBA graduates. The gender pay gap stands at 6% in individuals’ first post-MBA role but expands to 17% in current positions. Men are more likely to receive promotion, manage larger teams, oversee bigger budgets and work closer to senior leadership.
These differences are not solely the result of organisational policies. They reflect a combination of structural biases, networking disparities and differing expectations shaped long before individuals enter the workforce. Once women enter the labour market, organisations must work to create an environment in which talent is recognised and developed equitably.
Francesca Caroleo, country HR officer for Citi in Luxembourg, emphasises the importance of starting early. She argues that preparing more women for high achievement in the financial industry begins within the education system, and says schools should provide an environment free from predefined paths, in which girls are encouraged to explore all fields with a sense of freedom and confidence.
Importance of resilience as personal asset
“In today’s fast-moving professional world, where taking risks is increasingly necessary, the ability to learn from mistakes is essential,” Caroleo says. “While companies strive to create safe environments for experimentation, resilience remains a critical personal asset – particularly for women, who may face additional scrutiny in historically male-dominated fields.”
Caroleo’s work with Luxembourg’s Gender Finance Task Force highlights another critical factor: collaboration. The initiative brings together public institutions, academic experts and private-sector professionals, creating what she describes as a “glue and spark” for innovation. This cross-sector approach is particularly well suited to Luxembourg’s ecosystem, where close co-operation can bring faster change.
Within organisations, inclusion must go beyond formal programmes. Training in bias awareness, networking and self-branding is valuable, but real progress depends on the nature of daily interaction. Executives in particular must take responsibility for challenging bias and fostering an inclusive culture.
Caroleo concludes: “Every individual, especially among leaders, has a role in challenging biases and fostering inclusion. It’s about embedding these principles into everyday behaviour, ensuring that inclusion is not just written in policies but actively practiced in how we speak, act and support one another.”
Practical steps towards equality
What can organisations do to contribute to a transformation of limiting gender stereotypes into a more inspirational environment of inclusivity?
First, investment in education must prioritise inclusivity. This includes integrating gender-sensitive approaches into programmes, expanding career exposure initiatives and equipping educators with the tools to address bias.
Secondly, businesses should actively engage with educational institutions. Partnerships, mentorship programmes and internships can provide real-world exposure that challenges stereotypes and builds confidence.
Finally, organisations must embed inclusion into everyday practices. This means not only setting targets but also ensuring accountability at every level – from recruitment and promotion to leadership development. Talent will surely take care of the rest.
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