Women held 8.0% of board seats at S&P 500 companies in 2024, even as women make up 48.5% of active physicians in the US. That gap mirrors pay inequality and risk. In 2023, women earned about 82 cents for every $1 men earned for full-time work, while workplace harassment affects women’s mental health for 70% of those who experience it.
Key Takeaways
- 27.8% of women were professors in US degree-granting institutions in 2020 (NCES / IPEDS-based statistics)
- 34% of all students enrolled in higher education in the US are women (NCES Digest of Education Statistics, 2023)
- 33.3% of computer and mathematical occupations in the US were women in 2023 (BLS, CPS occupation by sex)
- 44.6% of US surgeons were women in 2022, indicating that women were nearly half of surgeons
- 48.5% of active physicians in the US were women in 2022, showing women are close to half of the physician workforce
- 8.0% of board seats at S&P 500 companies were held by women in 2024 (NASDAQ/Oversight-style count), indicating women accounted for about 1 in 12 board seats
- 12% of women reported being paid less than their male counterparts for similar work in a 2023 employee survey (World Economic Forum, 2023)
- 82 cents per $1: the gender wage gap for full-time workers in the US in 2023, meaning women earned about 82% of men’s earnings (UN Women / ILO reference for 2023)
- 0.85 ratio of female to male median earnings in the US for full-time work in 2022, indicating median earnings were 15% lower for women (OECD, 2022 data)
- 70% of women in the US who experienced workplace harassment reported that it affected their mental health in 2022 (APA, 2022)
- 1 in 5 women globally experiences intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2021)
- 46% of women who experience violence seek help in some form in 2020 (UN Women, 2020)
- 32% of women in STEM occupations in the US were in computer and mathematical fields in 2023, indicating concentration within STEM subfields (NSF S&E Women in STEM, 2023)
- 6.3% of global GDP (2020) could be added by advancing gender equality, according to IMF analysis cited in 2022 (IMF staff paper), indicating a measurable macroeconomic upside
- Women’s participation in the labor force is associated with a 10–20% increase in firm productivity in OECD evidence (OECD gender and productivity review, 2019), indicating a strong economic link
Women are close to half of the workforce and leadership in many areas, yet pay gaps, bias, and violence persist.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
27.8% of women were professors in US degree-granting institutions in 2020 (NCES / IPEDS-based statistics)
02
34% of all students enrolled in higher education in the US are women (NCES Digest of Education Statistics, 2023)
03
33.3% of computer and mathematical occupations in the US were women in 2023 (BLS, CPS occupation by sex)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the industry trends for gender diversity, women remain substantially represented in higher education with 34% of US students enrolled, yet their presence in the professor pipeline is lower at 27.8% in 2020 and drops further in tech roles to 33.3% of computer and mathematical occupations in 2023.
02 · Category
Workforce Representation3 stats
01
44.6% of US surgeons were women in 2022, indicating that women were nearly half of surgeons
02
48.5% of active physicians in the US were women in 2022, showing women are close to half of the physician workforce
03
8.0% of board seats at S&P 500 companies were held by women in 2024 (NASDAQ/Oversight-style count), indicating women accounted for about 1 in 12 board seats
Interpretation
Workforce Representation Interpretation
Within Workforce Representation, women make up nearly half of key medical roles with 44.6% of US surgeons and 48.5% of active physicians being women in 2022, yet their representation drops to 8.0% of board seats at S&P 500 companies in 2024.
03 · Category
Pay And Economic Equity5 stats
01
12% of women reported being paid less than their male counterparts for similar work in a 2023 employee survey (World Economic Forum, 2023)
02
82 cents per $1: the gender wage gap for full-time workers in the US in 2023, meaning women earned about 82% of men’s earnings (UN Women / ILO reference for 2023)
03
0.85 ratio of female to male median earnings in the US for full-time work in 2022, indicating median earnings were 15% lower for women (OECD, 2022 data)
04
23.1% unadjusted gender pay gap across the EU in 2022 for full-time employees, indicating a substantial pay disparity (Eurostat)
05
1.8x: women are 1.8 times as likely as men to report taking on more unpaid care work in 2022 (OECD, 2022)
Interpretation
Pay And Economic Equity Interpretation
In the Pay and Economic Equity landscape, women continue to earn less and absorb more economic pressure, with the US gender wage gap at 82 cents per $1 in 2023 and women still taking on about 1.8 times as much unpaid care work as men in 2022.
04 · Category
Safety, Harassment, And Health3 stats
01
70% of women in the US who experienced workplace harassment reported that it affected their mental health in 2022 (APA, 2022)
02
1 in 5 women globally experiences intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2021)
03
46% of women who experience violence seek help in some form in 2020 (UN Women, 2020)
Interpretation
Safety, Harassment, And Health Interpretation
In the Safety, Harassment, And Health category, the fact that 70% of US women who experienced workplace harassment say it affected their mental health in 2022 underscores how workplace abuse can directly harm women’s wellbeing, beyond the initial incident.
05 · Category
Education And Stem Pipeline1 stats
01
32% of women in STEM occupations in the US were in computer and mathematical fields in 2023, indicating concentration within STEM subfields (NSF S&E Women in STEM, 2023)
Interpretation
Education And Stem Pipeline Interpretation
In the US STEM education and pipeline, 32% of women in STEM occupations in 2023 worked in computer and mathematical fields, showing that women are concentrated in specific subfields rather than spread evenly across all STEM paths.
More related reading
06 · Category
Economic Impact2 stats
01
6.3% of global GDP (2020) could be added by advancing gender equality, according to IMF analysis cited in 2022 (IMF staff paper), indicating a measurable macroeconomic upside
02
Women’s participation in the labor force is associated with a 10–20% increase in firm productivity in OECD evidence (OECD gender and productivity review, 2019), indicating a strong economic link
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From an economic impact standpoint, advancing gender equality could lift global GDP by 6.3% and, where women’s labor force participation is higher, firms see productivity gains of about 10–20%, showing that gender inclusion is a measurable driver of growth.
07 · Category
Stem Pipeline4 stats
01
47% of students enrolled in doctoral programs in the UK were women in 2022/23, indicating near parity at advanced levels
02
Women comprised 39% of engineering graduates in the UK in 2022/23 (HESA, graduate characteristics), indicating engineering remains male-dominated
03
36% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science in the US were awarded to women in 2022 (CRA Taulbee Survey, 2022), indicating women are over one-third of CS bachelor recipients
04
29% of cybersecurity professionals are women in 2023 (ISC2 workforce study, 2023), indicating women are under one-third
Interpretation
Stem Pipeline Interpretation
Across the STEM pipeline, women reach near parity only at the doctoral stage in the UK with 47% enrolled in 2022/23, but the share drops to 39% among UK engineering graduates, remains just 36% in US computer science bachelor’s degrees in 2022, and is lowest in cybersecurity at 29% in 2023.
08 · Category
Health And Safety1 stats
01
62% of women in a 2023 survey reported feeling unsafe walking alone at night in their area (YouGov, 2023; cited in reputable news/press release), indicating perceived safety concerns
Interpretation
Health And Safety Interpretation
In 2023, 62% of women reported feeling unsafe walking alone at night, underscoring a major Health and Safety gap in personal security within their local areas.
report visual · Key figures
Where women are represented (and where gaps remain)
Women are near parity in some leadership/health roles, while representation is lower in computer/math, board seats, and certain STEM subfields—showing uneven progress across sectors.
33.3%
33.3% of computer and mathematical occupations in the US were women in 2023 (BLS, CPS occupation by sex)
48.5%
48.5% of active physicians in the US were women in 2022, showing women are close to half of the physician workforce
8%
8.0% of board seats at S&P 500 companies were held by women in 2024 (NASDAQ/Oversight-style count), indicating women acc
12%
12% of women reported being paid less than their male counterparts for similar work in a 2023 employee survey (World Eco
29%
29% of cybersecurity professionals are women in 2023 (ISC2 workforce study, 2023), indicating women are under one-third
source-verifiedbls.gov · ama-assn.org · s1.q4cdn.com · weforum.org · isc2.org2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Gender Diversity Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-diversity-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Gender Diversity Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gender-diversity-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Gender Diversity Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-diversity-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)