Did you know that advancing women’s leadership in Australia could add $128 billion to the country’s GDP? In fact, according to the CEW Senior Executive Census 2025, organisations with diverse leadership are 21% more likely to outperform their  competition. There’s enough research that tells us that diversity in our leadership teams improves decision-making, leads to better risk management and overall organisational performance.

Yet despite years of intent, progress at senior levels remains slow and uneven. The reason behind that is a clear gap in the way leadership is identified, developed, and sustained inside organisations. 

It’s time to pause and ask whether those systems genuinely work for women.

Addressing structural barriers for women

It would be ideal if leadership progression was purely merit-based and that the best could make it to the top naturally. But the truth is, leadership pathways are not linear and aren’t shaped by capability alone.

What may seem like a sprint for men is often a hurdle-laden marathon for women where they encounter barriers that are subtle but cumulative, and systemic. And these barriers often surface in the form of pay gaps. “When women are paid less than men, it affects their ability to save, invest, and plan for the future. And even more importantly it impedes their ability to pay down their debt due to not having the ability to develop that much needed savings pool”, writes Tammy Barton, founder of MyBudget. 

Whether it’s the unconscious bias in hiring or promotion decisions or the fact that women are expected to be the primary caregivers are all factors that widen the gender gap. 

Women’s leadership in Australia demands constructive change at an individual, organisational and societal level. 

Sponsorship, not mentoring, is the real inflection point

A 2025 McKinsey report found that women are less likely to find a sponsor compared to men at senior levels. Even if they do find one at an entry-level, they’re promoted at a lower rate than men. 

Sponsorship creates opportunity. Women are often well-mentored but under-sponsored. They receive advice on how to navigate the system, but fewer leaders actively advocate for them when roles are discussed, projects assigned, or succession decisions made. 

Recently, the Chief Executive Women has been advocating a 40:40:20 target to achieve gender balance in organisations. Active sponsorship will play a key role if Australian companies commit to achieving this target. 

The role of senior leadership

As leaders looking to actively invest in women’s leadership programmes, you want to ensure that your investment drives outcomes. To be able to do that, you must ask harder questions.

Where do women drop out of the leadership pipeline, and why? Who is being sponsored into stretch roles? How are leadership behaviours defined and assessed? Are promotion decisions consistent with stated values?

The most successful leaders do more than just offer encouragement. They incorporate accountability into systems. They make a connection between succession planning and leadership development. They monitor results over time. They hold themselves and their groups accountable for advancement.

This is where women leadership development programmes deliver the greatest value not as standalone initiatives, but as part of a broader leadership strategy.

 

Creating environments where women leaders can thrive

The McKinsey report also found that often women hesitate to rise and break glass ceilings because they lack support. Only 69% of entry-level women want a promotion versus 80% of entry-level men while 84% of senior-level women want to be promoted versus 92% of senior-level men. 

What we’re seeing in organisations that are genuinely moving the needle is not a dramatic overhaul of talent strategy, but a simple change in everyday leadership behaviour.

Progress often starts with senior leaders showing up in small but meaningful ways. Checking in, not just on performance but on how someone is holding up. Being explicit about what progression actually takes. Saying a person’s name in rooms they’re not in yet. None of this requires a formal sponsorship label and yet it changes how advancement feels.

 

Constructive change through leadership development 

As a leader and a decision-maker, you can choose to make a difference in a way that benefits women leaders and boosts organisational performance. And while many organisations are already investing in women’s leadership programmes, it’s important you choose one that promises maximum, measurable ROI. 

Generic leadership programmes typically assume a level playing field. They focus on universal competencies without accounting for the additional layers women navigate like bias, stereotype threat, interrupted career paths, or lack of advocacy.

Effective programmes recognise that leadership is shaped by context, power dynamics and by organisational norms that determine whose voice carries weight. You must aim to look beyond skill-building, mentoring and invest in programmes that enable you to build psychologically safe work environments. 

Confidence grows when women are given structured opportunities to practise influence, test judgement, and receive honest feedback in safe space. Behaviour change lasts when learning is reinforced over time, not delivered as a one-off intervention. And the most meaningful shifts occur when individual development is paired with organisational accountability.

 

From symbolic support to structural change

The real work lies in breaking barriers that are often invisible to those who have not experienced them. You have the opportunity to drive change by building leadership environments where women are not asked to adapt endlessly, but are supported to lead fully.

At TransforMe, we’ve partnered with several leading organisations who wanted to invest in a women’s leadership development programme that brings clear outcomes. In one organisation, our flagship programme Evolve enabled 78% participants to tackle gender bias at work. At the most recent cohort, 43% said their visibility and ability to influence improved after the programme. 

 

TransforMe’s Evolve is a women’s leadership programme designed for organisations focused on gender diversity and strengthening their leadership pipeline with more women leaders. It supports companies looking to develop high-potential women professionals into confident managers, leaders, and strategic influencers. It is also suited to DEI teams seeking to build inclusive leadership by investing in women who are strong individual performers, as well as businesses that want to support women returning from career breaks by helping them rebuild confidence and transition meaningfully into leadership roles.

You can explore the programme details here.