Is it relevant whether we have men or women as leaders? Evidence shows that when women lead, economies leap but the journey toward gender equity remains an uphill one.
In 2025, women account for almost half of the global workforce, but they only represent 28 percent of C-suite roles (World Economic Forum). Women hold just nine percent of the world’s Heads of State (UN Women) and 11 percent of Fortune 500 companies (Fortune). In the QS World University Rankings top 100, only 29 percent of institutions are led by women.
This paradox was at the heart of a recent conversation at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Europe 2025 in Porto, Portugal. The panel ‘Women in higher education: Leading with purpose, resilience and impact’ brought together senior leaders to reflect on the gender equity gap and the role that higher education must play in ensuring future generations don’t face the same challenges.
The real experiences behind the numbers
Led by Selma Toohey, QS Executive Director for Europe, panellists explored the concerning statistics that bring to light the ongoing challenges and barriers to achieving truly diverse and inclusive leadership.
Dr Monika Nangia, panellist and Director of Student & Academic Services at Durham University, said: “There is a wealth of data pointing to persistent systemic inequity, but numbers alone don’t tell the full story. What lies behind the statistics are personal stories where women have made several sacrifices to gain a seat at the table. It doesn’t come easy. There is a lot of code switching, isolation and imposter syndrome.”
Having travelled across the UK interviewing women leaders in higher education, she said: “When I talk to women leaders, they have had to battle twice as hard to get to the top, so strength and resilience are something they come with. They are the characteristics you see in women leaders today, but it takes a toll.”
Busting the gender difference myth
Dr Estzer Lukács, Vice President at Széchenyi István University, argues that while women have to work harder, focusing solely on gender imbalance risks reducing diversity efforts to box-ticking exercises, where women and individuals from underrepresented groups are included merely to meet recruitment quotas. “It only helps you to become a quota woman,” she said, “and I would never want to be a quota woman and be promoted based on my gender. When you are a leader, you need to behave as a leader independently of your gender.”
Cristina Perdigão, Director at Agência Nacional Erasmus+ Educação e Formação, challenged the idea that leadership differs by gender: “I think the idea that gender makes different leadership is a trap. I don’t think there is a difference. Leadership is a matter of creating the right skills and competencies and we all must find the right balance.
“My senior management team is 100 percent women, but I don’t choose them because they are women. I choose them because they are the right people for the job. I think we have to focus on the opportunities ahead of us and not on the barriers. I think that’s why I got to where I am.”
Mentorship isn’t enough: Women need sponsors
While many women leaders have had to work twice as hard to access the opportunities that paved their path to leadership, how can today’s senior leaders ensure that the next generation doesn’t have to face the same barriers? Selma Toohey posed this question to the panel and the answer was clear: sponsorship is essential.
“Everyone in the workplace, regardless of gender, needs a promoter,” said Dr Lukács. “We have to create an environment where women are welcome, especially when it comes to maternity leave and coming back into the workplace.”
For Dr Nangia, intersectionality is vital when discussing advocacy for women in the workplace. “Women of colour tend to be over-mentored but under-sponsored,” she said. “There are mentorship schemes in almost every organisation, but what we need is less mentoring and more sponsorship. By that I mean speaking for women, and especially women of colour, in rooms where they’re not present.
“Who is sponsoring you if you are a woman with talent? Who’s sponsoring you when decisions are being made behind closed doors for those critical promotions and leadership positions? Allyship is crucial. Look around you and you will find women of talent in your own circles. Men, do you really go back and speak highly of them? We need more men doing that.”
Keeping inclusion on the agenda
For Toohey, Dr Nangia, Dr Lukács and Perdigão, the biggest challenge is keeping inclusion on the agenda, especially in a time when it is losing its place across the world.
“We may soon reach a point where talking about inclusivity is no longer a priority,” warned Dr Nangia. “As financial pressures grow, I fear that investment in promoting inclusive workplaces will be the first go. We must keep the momentum and make inclusive cultures part of our day to day lives. That’s that will bring the gender parity we want.”
As the conversation in Porto made clear, gender equity in leadership won’t be achieved through data awareness alone. It requires action – from rethinking how we hire to actively sponsoring women behind closed doors, the future of higher education leadershippends on sustained, purposeful inclusion.
