McKinsey & Company latest Women in the Workplace report has found that women hold just 33 per cent of entry-level jobs in Nigeria’s formal private sector, highlighting a significant gender imbalance at the very point where careers begin.

The report, launched today at the Africa Chief Executive Officer Forum 2025, based on data from 324 organisations across Nigeria, India, and Kenya, covers a workforce of 1.4 million employees.

The research, which sheds new light on the systemic barriers affecting women’s participation in the formal economies of the three nations, found that while women’s representation remains relatively steady once they are within the workforce, holding 29 per cent of managerial and C-suite roles, the pipeline starts narrow and continues to restrict female advancement in the upper ranks.

The Partner at McKinsey & Company and co-author of the report, Mayowa Kuyoro, said the research findings indicate that while women’s advancement remains relatively stable once they enter the system, their initial access to roles remains limited.

“The data tells a clear story. Nigeria’s leadership gap is rooted in the entry-level barrier. Once women are in the system, they advance steadily, but the path remains too narrow at the start,” Kuyoro stated.

The report stated that despite women’s broader participation in the workforce, only one in three entry-level roles in Nigeria’s formal private sector are occupied by women.

The research stated that while women see a drop from entry-level to the managerial role from 33 to 29 per cent, women’s representation remains relatively consistent in the more senior ranks, with women holding approximately 28 to 29 out of every 100 roles from the manager to the C-suite level.

The report emphasised that Nigerian women in senior positions are statistically more likely than their male counterparts to earn promotions, but they also face higher rates of lateral moves or exits from the workforce, signaling a fragile tenure at the top.

The research also highlighted the role of workplace policies and practices in shaping gender equity outcomes.

According to the report, while many companies have adopted baseline policies, such as safety measures and bias mitigation strategies, those with higher female representation were more likely to implement a broader range of supportive measures.

The report identified a set of differentiator policies that are not yet widely spread but are significantly more prevalent in better-performing companies on gender equity.

Among better performing companies were, 34 per cent more likely to offer flexible work options, 33 per cent more likely to have structured mentorship and sponsorship programme and 23 per cent more likely to provide family and personal care policies.

However, the report stressed that having policies alone on paper is not sufficient, noting that several underperforming companies had many of the right policies in place but failed to translate them into tangible outcomes due to weak implementation.

The report further highlighted that despite growing awareness, significant gaps remain in leadership accountability and monitoring.

The findings showed that while 77 per cent of surveyed organisations identified gender diversity as a CEO-level priority, only 66 per cent track basic metrics such as hiring and promotion by gender.

Even more concerning, only 15 per cent of company boards hold themselves accountable for gender equity outcomes.

The study proposes a three-part action plan, which includes, Diagnose, Design and Monitor for for Nigerian employers to foster progress.

The research stated that Diagnose pipeline challenges through regular, disaggregated tracking of hiring, promotions, and attrition by gender, while the Design adopt, implement and evolve baseline and differentiator practices, with mentorship, sponsorship, and family care as priorities.

Monitor ensure institutionalise tracking mechanisms and accountability at board and senior leadership levels to ensure gender equity is embedded in organizational performance.