Companies Investing in Gender Equality Outperform Competitors

• A report from Grant Thornton found companies with gender equality are more successful than others.
• Companies with diversity experience better revenue growth, more hires, and exports.

A newly issued global report from Grant Thornton reveals that organizations that invest in gender equality are outperforming others in key business fields.

This is because these organizations, which value gender diversity, have recorded higher revenue growth, hiring rates, and export levels. This indicates that gender-balanced leadership is now a key success factor.

Previously, the conversation around gender equality in the workplace has centered on social responsibility and the need to fulfill gender equality quotas. However, the newly issued report indicates that the conversation is changing.

The ‘Women in Business 2026: The Value of Visibility’ report indicates that organizations that support gender equality through practices such as equal hiring practices, diverse leadership teams, and equal pay policies outperform other organizations in fields such as revenue growth, hiring rates, and exports.

According to the Grant Thornton International Business Report, which polled over 15,000 mid-market businesses in 35 economies, the results show that companies with gender equality initiatives performed better in 2025.

Some of the insights provided by the report are as follows 73 percent of the companies reported revenue growth of over 5 percent. 56.2 percent reported an increase in the number of staff members by more than 5 percent. 48.8 percent reported an increase in exports of over 5 percent.

These companies were not only promoting equality but were also growing faster. The report also found that companies with gender-diverse leadership teams were more likely to have more perspectives and therefore make better decisions and avoid management blind spots.

Mid-market companies are realizing the benefits of having gender-diverse leadership teams. The report found that 92.7 percent of the companies now have diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in place.

Of this number, 75.8 percent are now committed to gender equality initiatives. Moreover, 36.8 percent are planning to implement more initiatives in this area.