South Africa has made meaningful progress in advancing women into executive leadership, but the journey to the CEO’s office remains markedly different for women than it is for men. While the number of women leading major organisations is gradually increasing across listed companies, financial institutions, and public enterprises, women continue to face higher expectations, greater scrutiny, and a steeper climb to the C-suite.
Research consistently shows that women are not only capable leaders but often bring strengths that modern organisations need most: collaborative leadership, emotional intelligence, resilience, and long-term strategic thinking. Yet despite these qualities, women are still significantly underrepresented in top executive roles.
Internationally, women now lead close to 10% of S&P 500 companies, up from just 2% in 2000. Studies have also found that women CEOs are frequently more qualified than their male counterparts. Many have accumulated broader operational experience, held multiple executive portfolios, or served as company presidents before being considered for the chief executive role.
Their careers often demonstrate that they have had to exceed the standard expected of male peers before being viewed as “ready.” While South Africa’s corporate landscape differs from that of the United States, many of the same patterns are evident.
Across JSE-listed companies, women remain underrepresented in CEO and executive director positions despite making up a growing share of professional and managerial talent. Although board diversity has improved, driven partly by governance reforms and increased focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, the pipeline into the most senior executive positions remains uneven.
Women are more likely to occupy support functions such as human resources, communications or legal, while men continue to dominate operational and profit-and-loss leadership roles that traditionally serve as stepping stones to the CEO position.
For Black women, the challenges are often even greater. They frequently navigate both gender and racial bias, meaning they may have to demonstrate exceptional performance repeatedly before receiving the same opportunities afforded to others. While South Africa has progressive employment equity legislation aimed at increasing representation, legislation alone cannot eliminate unconscious bias or transform workplace culture.
The hidden barrier: Performance bias
One of the biggest obstacles facing women is performance bias: the tendency to evaluate women based on proven achievements while evaluating men based on perceived potential.
In practice, this means women often need an extensive track record before being trusted with larger responsibilities, whereas men may be promoted because leaders believe they have the potential to succeed.
This bias appears throughout the employee lifecycle:
- Women are more likely to have their decisions questioned.
- Success is often attributed to teamwork or luck rather than individual capability.
- Mistakes are remembered longer and judged more harshly.
- Leadership traits such as decisiveness or ambition may be praised in men but labelled negatively when demonstrated by women.
Over time, these small biases accumulate. Women receive fewer stretch assignments, fewer sponsorship opportunities, slower promotions, and ultimately fewer pathways into executive leadership.
The confidence gap isn’t the real issue
Much has been written about women needing to be more confident. But increasingly, researchers argue that the problem isn’t women’s confidence; it’s organisational confidence in women. Many women already possess the skills, qualifications and experience needed for senior leadership. The challenge is ensuring those capabilities are recognised and rewarded fairly.
Rather than asking women to continually “lean in,” organisations should examine whether their promotion practices, succession planning and leadership assessments genuinely reward performance rather than familiarity or unconscious assumptions.
Building a fairer pathway to leadership
Although systemic change requires commitment from organisations, women can also take practical steps to strengthen their visibility and career progression.
Clarify promotion expectations. Rather than assuming good work will speak for itself, have regular conversations with your manager about what success looks like and what specific achievements are required for advancement.
Challenge vague feedback. If you’re told you’re “not quite ready” for promotion, ask for measurable examples and clear development goals. Specific feedback creates accountability and helps expose unconscious bias where it exists.
Seek sponsors, not just mentors. Mentors provide advice, but sponsors actively advocate for your advancement when promotion and succession decisions are made. Building relationships with influential leaders, both women and men, can significantly expand career opportunities.
Build strategic visibility. Volunteer for high-impact projects, present your work to senior leadership, and ensure your contributions are recognised across the organisation.
Develop commercial experience. Women aspiring to executive leadership should actively pursue opportunities that build operational, financial and profit-and-loss responsibility, as these remain among the strongest pathways to CEO roles.
A business imperative, not just a diversity goal
The conversation about women in leadership is no longer simply about representation. It is about building stronger, more innovative and resilient organisations. South African businesses operate in an increasingly complex environment where inclusive leadership, diverse thinking and sound governance are competitive advantages. Companies that broaden leadership pipelines and remove barriers to advancement are better positioned to attract talent, drive innovation and make more balanced strategic decisions.
Progress is happening, but it remains uneven. Until women no longer have to outperform simply to be considered equally capable, true leadership equality will remain a work in progress. The goal should not be for women to take more steps than men on the journey to the top. It should be for every leader to be evaluated on the same criteria: ability, performance, potential and impact. Only then will South Africa unlock the full strength of its leadership talent.
