The gulf is so big that only 4 per cent of women live in countries that have anything like full legal equality. That is a meaningful difference, the authors say, in a sample where the overall pay gap was just under 9 per cent. But some analysts think female chief executives may be keener to introduce such policies and, importantly, more likely to evaluate men and women’s leadership potential evenly. It needs to be said that the evidence is mixed in other areas, such as the extent to which female political leaders promote their sisters into ministerial jobs. Still, in business and public services, it does seem to make sense for women to work for women – if they can.

Source: The Irish Times March 02, 2026 14:45 UTC