We want to talk about the data.
Every March, we pause to celebrate the women who shaped history. And every March, someone publishes a list of inspiring quotes, a roundup of female firsts, and a reminder that women are, in fact, capable of great things.
We love all of that. And we also want to do something a little different this year.
We want to look at the numbers and real-time stats. Women in leadership aren't just good for morale or optics or a feel-good press release. They are measurably, quantifiably, undeniably better for organizations, communities, and the bottom line.
So if you've ever had to justify the value of investing in women-led spaces — or if you're a woman leader who's ever been made to feel like you needed to prove your worth — consider this your evidence.
Warning* We might come across as if we are yelling, but we are just fired up about this!
It's Basic Business Strategy
Let's start with the one that tends to get people's attention: money.
In a 2025 study titled Women in the Workplace by McKinsey and LeanIn.Org, it stated that companies with strong female representation in senior leadership can generate up to 50% higher earnings and share performance. In a 2024 article, the International Labour Organization surveyed nearly 13,000 enterprises across 70 countries and found that nearly three-quarters of companies that tracked gender diversity in management reported profit increases, most seeing gains between 10 and 15%.
50%
On average, there are 50% higher earnings for companies with female representation in senior leadership.
21%
Gender-diverse executive teams are 21% more likely to experience above-average profitability.
42%
Companies with higher female board representation see a 42% higher return on sales and a 66% higher return on invested capital.
384%
Female-led fortune 500 companies delivered returns of 384% over the past decade — vs. 261% from male-led companies
The impact goes beyond the money
Women reinvest up to 90% of their earnings back into their families and communities — compared to 30–40% among men, says a little place called Harvard. Have you heard of them?
When women earn, communities grow. Schools get funded. Local businesses get supported. Families get more stable. The ripple effect of putting resources and power into the hands of women isn't theoretical — it's documented.
And the return on investment is real: for every $1 spent on women's health and empowerment, $3 is returned as economic growth. That's a 3x return, which any donor, funder, or board member should find extremely compelling.
For the nonprofits and mission-driven organizations we work with, this data should feel personal. When you invest in women-led programming, women-led organizations, and women in leadership, you're not just doing good. You're multiplying impact.
90%
Women reinvest up to 90% of their earnings back into their families and communities — compared to 30–40% among men.
The Nonprofit Sector Has a Specific Problem
Women make up 75% of the nonprofit workforce in the United States. They are the backbone of this sector. They are the program directors, the case managers, the community organizers, the grant writers, the event coordinators. They show up, they stay, and they do the work. While we have definitely worked with men in nonprofits over our 10 years in business, it is consistently women who are our main contacts.
But are they at the top?
Women build the sector, but get passed over to run it. This isn't a pipeline problem. It's a leadership investment problem.
Women lead 62% of nonprofits with budgets under $50,000. That number drops to 46% for organizations with budgets above $25 million. The pattern is clear: the bigger the organization, the fewer women at the top. And when women were running larger organizations, they made less. Female CEOs earned 75 cents for every dollar earned by male CEOs at nonprofits with annual budgets over $50 million.
22%
Women lead only 22% of nonprofits with budgets over $1 million — and earn 24.8% less than their male counterparts in the same sector.
They Also Lead Differently — In Ways That Matter
Beyond the financial metrics, women lead with skills that are increasingly recognized as exactly what organizations need right now.
Women outperform men in 11 of 12 key emotional intelligence competencies, and when it comes to adaptability, women scored in the 54th percentile, and men only in the 48th, according to a 2016 Forbes article. In a separate Pews Research article, when asked whether men or women in top executive positions are better at creating safe and respectful workplaces, 43% say female executives are better while only 5% say men are better. About half (52%) say male and female leaders are equally capable.
The research is clear. Women lead. Communities thrive. Organizations grow. The only question left is why we're still having to make the case.
And if you're a woman in leadership reading this: you already knew this.
You've been proving it. The data just finally caught up.
