Women in work - opportunities and challenges

In its latest 2025 White Paper, PwC—working with leading economists—continues to highlight both the progress made and the persistent gaps in women’s economic participation across advanced economies. The report is anchored in the Women in Work Index, which tracks female economic empowerment across OECD countries using indicators such as employment rates, pay gaps, and participation in the labour force.

International picture

The most recent index shows that progress is uneven across countries:

• Nordic countries continue to perform strongly, with nations such as Iceland and Sweden consistently ranking near the top.
• Many mid-ranking countries show gradual improvement, but the pace of change varies significantly.
• The UK remains in the middle tier of the index, broadly stable in ranking but no longer among the fastest improvers.
• Several OECD countries are now accelerating reforms and beginning to close gaps more quickly, increasing competitive pressure on slower-moving economies.

Overall, the report suggests that while gender equality in work is improving globally, convergence is slow and far from complete.

UK performance and regional differences

PwC’s UK breakdown into 12 regions shows that national averages hide significant local variation.

• Some regions—particularly in southern England and parts of Northern Ireland—have seen stronger improvements in female labour force participation and narrowing gaps.
• Other regions have progressed more slowly, and in a few cases, gains have stalled or reversed in specific indicators.
• London remains a mixed case: while offering high employment opportunities overall, it continues to experience a relatively large gender pay gap compared with some other UK regions.

The key takeaway is that regional disparities persist, but there are signs of gradual convergence in employment opportunity across parts of the UK.

Economic impact

The 2025 report reinforces the idea that closing gender gaps is not only a social goal but a major economic opportunity.

PwC estimates that if OECD countries matched the strongest performers in female workforce participation and equality, the gains would be substantial:

• A multi-trillion-pound increase in women’s earnings across OECD economies
• A significant uplift to overall GDP driven by higher labour market participation and productivity

This positions gender equality as one of the most powerful structural growth levers available to advanced economies facing long-term demographic and productivity pressures.

The analysis is framed within comparisons across the OECD countries.

Policy and organisational actions

The report highlights several practical strategies that organisations can use to improve outcomes for women in the workplace:

• Strengthening leadership pipelines and visible female role models
• Removing bias from recruitment through gender-neutral job design and branding
• Building inclusive workplace cultures that support retention and progression
• Expanding mentoring and sponsorship programmes
• Supporting return-to-work pathways for career returners
• Developing flexible hiring and career structures that enable mobility

Overall message

The 2025 update reinforces a consistent conclusion: progress is real but uneven. While many countries are improving, the pace is not sufficient to close gender gaps quickly, and leading economies are pulling further ahead.

The report’s central argument remains economic as well as social—greater gender equality in work represents one of the clearest opportunities to boost long-term growth, productivity, and resilience across developed economies.