A new study by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania found that women in Fortune 100 companies advance to top executive positions faster than men by two to four years. However, while women hold 27% of the highest leadership positions in these companies, not all are in the top positions, such as CEO or CFO. Over half of the women in executive positions in 2021 hold supportive roles in internal departments which are not part of the core business operations.
Thus, there is still much work to achieve gender diversity at the highest levels of management in companies. The study suggests that achieving gender balance in the top structure of an organization can benefit its decision-making and development.