More Companies Now Supporting Women Professionals Over 50+

• More companies are increasing investment in policies and programs for professionals over 50
• This trend has grown steadily over the past three years
• The finding comes from the fifth edition of the “Women in Leadership” survey

In the past three years, there has been an uptick in the number of companies with policies or programs in place for professionals over the age of 50.

According to the Fifth Edition of the "Women in Leadership" study recently conducted by Women in Leadership, Latin America in conjunction with Valor, O Globo, Marie Claire, and Época Negócios, there has been an uptick in intersectional initiatives aimed at women in this age group.

In this study, conducted with methodological support from Ipsos, says that in 2025, 36 percent from the 173 companies reported having specific actions for professionals in their 50s. This represents an increase of 12 percentage points from the previous edition using data from 2022.

WILL president Silvia Fazio asserts that the increase in intersectional policies for women over 50 shows that companies' attention to diversity and inclusion is maturing.

"The first two previous reports were concerned with gender more generally. Now we are starting to see organizations recognize that overlapping identity factors (e.g., age) are shaping experiences in the workplace," says Silvia.

The survey also reports an increase in women's participation in leadership, from 41 percent in 2022 to 43% in 2025. While this is only a slight increase, Silvia views it positively because, in many parts of the world, women's representation is down.

In this year's research, other findings point to a changing landscape regarding how companies collect and action information in support of their diversity goals.

The use of census tools and systems for monitoring gender proportionately increased from 59 percent to 91 percent during that same time.

When taken together, these findings indicate that organizations are taking a more facilitated, evidence-informed approach in order to achieve diversity and inclusion.

If the earlier stages have simply been about awareness and the extent to which organizations can create change, the next issue is to take that awareness to tangible actions such as articulation of measureable objectives and addressing intersectional leadership.

The 25th edition of "Women in Leadership" considers eight thematic areas and is based on data collected between January and April 2025, during a period when transitions in policy in response to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion where underway in the United States under Donald Trump's presidency.

The focus of this year's report is to highlight insights from multiple sectors and thematic areas, and to noting that Nestlé was one of the companies highlighted for note-worthy performer. Analysis considers a total of 173 larger organizations and medium-sized organizations.