Data from Balance for Better Business has highlighted the issues women face in furthering their careers.
Balance for Better Business, the independent business-led review group established by the Government, has released the findings of a report exploring the positioning of women on the boards of Ireland’s largest companies.
Coinciding with International Women’s day this past Sunday (8 March), Balance for Better Businesses’ data shows that the proportion of women represented on the boards of ISEQ20 companies has remained steady at 40pc, though this has fallen slightly from previous figures of 42pc.
The data analysed the composition of board and leadership teams across publicly listed companies in Ireland throughout March 2025, indicating that Ireland now ranks 6th in the EU for female board representation. This represents a major shift from its position at 16th in 2018, although it held 5th position in November 2025.
On Ireland’s leadership teams at listed companies, the representation of women stands at 26pc, performing relatively well against its peers. Despite the positive trend, the report found however, that more needs to be done to accelerate the pace of progress.
Balance for Better Businesses’ Data showed that the gap between executive and non-executive director representation indicates a growing pipeline challenge. Female non-executive director representation remains strong at 48pc and executive director representation continues to fall, dropping by 3 percentage points to 8pc since November.
Challenges persist in building a strong pipeline of women to assume key leadership positions, with only 70pc of publicly listed companies having three or more women on their boards and only 45pc of ISEQ20 companies having 3 or more women on their leadership teams.
Commenting on the findings of the report, the Balance for Better Business co-chair Carol Andrews said: “It’s clear from our findings that Irish businesses continue to maintain and sustain progress on gender balance at board level. Climbing from 16th to 6th place in the EU for women on boards marks a major shift over the past number of years, and this progress is to be commended.
“However, the pace of change across the business landscape remains uneven. Gender balance should be a strategic imperative for every organisation, whatever their size or industry. I’d encourage every organisation to explore our roadmap for the key steps to accelerate the pace of progress on their journey.”
A Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Niamh Smyth, TD, added, “The data published by Balance for Better Business today, reflects continued progress by Irish businesses on their gender balance journey. To maintain this momentum, it’s crucial that all organisations make gender balance a core business priority.
“When gender balance is prioritised at the top, it accelerates change throughout organisations for the better. By setting clear targets, appointing more female independent directors, and embedding accountability, Irish leaders can continue their journey towards achieving a more inclusive, resilient, and high-performing future for Irish business.”
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