Give to Gain: equality won’t wait until 2056

International Women’s Day falls this Sunday [on 8 March], and this year’s theme ‘Give to Gain’ carries real personal resonance. Having navigated the city for over 25 years, the moments that most defined my path weren’t just about what I worked for, but what others were willing to give me: their backing, their belief, and a seat at the table I wasn’t automatically invited to.

The business and moral case for gender equality has never been stronger, yet progress remains stubbornly uneven across leadership, pay, and funding. There is growing consensus around the social, moral, and economic imperatives for change, which raises the question: if we are united behind the gains, what is stopping us from giving what is needed to get there?

There has been real progress. 43% of FTSE 350 board positions are now held by women, meeting the FTSE Women Leaders goal of 40% by end of 2025. This is a significant milestone, one that demonstrates how British businesses are continuing to set a global standard for voluntary, business-led gender diversity initiatives.

Government is also proving receptive to calls for better support for female entrepreneurship. It recently recommended that the British Business Bank ensure equity finance to female entrepreneurs increases from 2% to 10% by 2030, a five-fold commitment that, if delivered, could transform the landscape for women-led businesses. Additionally, a shift accelerated by the pandemic has led nearly three-quarters of UK businesses to now provide flexible working arrangements, a key factor enabling women with families to progress their careers.

These aren’t small wins. They are what giving opportunity at scale actually looks like.

But the wider picture is difficult to celebrate. Progress is marred by persistent and troubling figures, and by negative global trends that risk dissuading the very actors whose commitment is needed most.

The most striking of these: the UK gender pay gap won’t close until 2056 at the current rate of progress. That is not a distant, abstract problem, it is a generational failure in the making.

In terms of female entrepreneurship, a crucial area for producing role models and building economic independence, women make up just 14% of the angel investor population. In financial services, my own sector, women account for less than 19% of senior leadership roles. And the headwinds are growing. Several US banks have now scaled back their diversity programmes following executive orders from President Trump, a retreat that is sending ripples far beyond American shores. And it’s not just corporate America. Governments across the world are rolling back existing protections for women.

When those at the top stop giving, everyone loses.

In the face of this, it’s even more important that the UK holds firm. There are three things I believe must happen.

Firstly, invest structurally, not symbolically. At HaysMac, our mean gender pay gap fell from 5.9% in 2021 to -1.2% in 2025, contributing to us being named Lloyds Bank’s DE&I Champion of the Year 2025. We’ve also introduced enhanced parental leave, fertility support and menopause policies, not as tick-box exercises, but as strategic investments in talent retention. The evidence backs this up: top-quartile gender-diverse firms see 27% higher profitability and 47% higher returns on equity. Inclusion is a competitive advantage, not a cost.

Secondly, allies must open doors, not just observe the gaps. My own path makes this vivid. I became a Partner in 2009, and I was probably not the obvious choice in a room of white male peers. That it happened at all was because two men, Simon Wilks and Ian Cliffe, put me forward. That is ‘Give to Gain’ in practice. Every door I’ve been able to open since traces back to that moment.

You cannot be what you cannot see. Networks like HaysMac’s FemNet and and HaysMac ConnectHer, alongside structured mentoring schemes are so important, but they work more effectively when people already at the top make deliberate choices to back those coming through. Gender equality won’t accelerate without that.

See Also

UK female business owners take second jobs as economic pressures mount

Thirdly, resist the retreat. The rollback of DEI programmes by US banks is a warning. Progress built on optics rather than values is fragile, it collapses the moment political winds shift. The UK’s voluntary, business-led model is different, and it’s working. But it requires sustained commitment, especially now.

If UK businesses hold firm, the retreat by the US could yet present itself as an opportunity. Talented people who feel undervalued or pushed away will look for environments that do value them. The UK has a chance to attract that talent, but only if it maintains the conditions that make it genuinely welcoming.

For this International Women’s Day, I’d challenge everyone to identify one person they can open a door for. A name to put forward. A policy to champion. A seat to offer.

A single act can set everything in motion. It did for me, and it has for the people I’ve been able to bring with me since. The evidence tells us change is both possible and beneficial. The question is whether we have the collective will to act.

Because if we don’t, 2056 isn’t a worrying prediction. It’s a reality.