The Philippines has kept its position as the third-leading country for women in senior management roles, with 43 percent of top business positions held by women in 2025, according to Grant Thornton’s International Business Report. However, this marks a slight decline from the previous year’s figure of 43.1 percent.
While the country’s steady performance is commendable, experts argue that achieving true gender parity in the workplace remains a distant goal. Romualdo V. Murcia III, chairman and managing partner of P&A Grant Thornton, emphasized the need for continued progress. “It’s disheartening to think we might miss out on another generation of female leaders. Although we’re optimistic about the progress made so far, there’s still much work to be done,” Murcia said. He urged that efforts to achieve parity be intensified well before the target year of 2051, as outlined by Grant Thornton International.
The report also revealed that 85 percent of Philippine businesses now pay employees equally for the same roles regardless of gender, with 15 percent of respondents aiming to implement this within the next five years. In comparison, the Philippines slightly outpaces its Southeast Asian neighbors, where 83.1 percent of companies have adopted equal pay practices.
Notably, the Philippines is also making strides in female representation at the highest levels of business leadership. Only 3.4 percent of businesses in the country report having no women in senior management positions, a significant improvement over the past few years. “Very few business companies now have no women in top leadership positions, as leaders have grown to understand that it’s bad for business,” the report stated.
Mailene Sigue-Bisnar, partner in advisory services at P&A Grant Thornton, attributed this progress to changing cultural attitudes. “The ideas and insights of women are equally important as those of men, which is why it is unacceptable for companies to focus solely on all-male leadership teams,” Bisnar explained. “Moreover, some companies are increasingly uncomfortable doing business with organizations that have an all-male board or management team.”
The Women in Business report highlights external pressures as a significant driving force behind the push for gender diversity in the workplace. In the Philippines, over half (54 percent) of businesses feel pressure from potential new clients to improve gender balance, while nearly half (49 percent) face similar demands from potential investors. Additionally, 43 percent report pressure from partner organizations.
The study concludes with a call to action: “While we’ve made great progress in the past few years, bigger and bolder strides are needed as we push for gender parity. We must act now to avoid another missed generation of opportunity.”
