Women in politics, business and sport in 2024: Progress and setbacks

Despite some milestones for women, 2024 highlighted how slow progress has been. Although there have been some gains in sport and some progress in political representation and business leadership, the overall trend suggests that progress in gender equality has stalled. Here’s some good news and bad news for women this year.

women in politics

In politics, women achieved some historic firsts. Outside the United States, Claudia Sheinbaum made history when she was elected as the first female president of Mexico, and Netumbo Nnamdi Ndituwa was elected as the first female president of Namibia.

In the United States, Lisa Blunt Rochester became the first female and first black senator from Delaware, and Angela Alsobrooks became the first black female senator from Maryland. This will be the first time in history that two black women will serve in the U.S. Senate at the same time.

The 2024 election also set a new record for the number of female governors serving simultaneously in the United States. Kelly Ayotte’s election as governor of New Hampshire brings the total number of female governors to 13, surpassing the previous record of 12.

President-elect Trump’s selection of Susie Wiles as his White House Chief of Staff marks another milestone for women. She will be the first woman to hold this position.

One of the most notable news stories for women in politics in 2024 wasn’t about progress, it was about missed opportunities. The United States once again failed to elect a female president. It’s also discouraging that 16 states have never elected a woman to the U.S. Senate, and 18 states have yet to elect a woman as governor. Five states have never had a female senator or governor (Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia).

Perhaps equally discouraging is the declining number of women politicians. Overall, 150 women are expected to serve in the House of Representatives next year, down from the current record of 152. The number of women in the House of Commons is set to decline for the first time since 1991. There are 25 women in the Senate. The three newly elected members will take office in January. This is one fewer than the previous record of 26 female senators, set in 2020.

Women as business leaders

In corporate leadership, the proportion of women in top management roles at major companies will decrease by 2024. The number of female CEOs in the S&P 500 index will fall from 41 in 2023 to 39 in 2024, a setback in an area that was already significantly underrepresented, according to a report from the Women Business Collaborative. . The number of female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies remained flat at 52, the same number as in 2023.

Better news for women leaders comes from large, privately held companies. In 2024, 180 female CEOs will lead private companies valued at $1 billion or more, representing 7.2% of these companies. While still a low percentage, this is a significant increase from 2023, when only 3.3% of companies had women in leadership positions.

Smaller publicly traded companies also saw a slight increase in female leadership. In the Russell 3000 index, the number of women serving as CEOs increased from 204 in 2023 to 270 in 2024, reflecting a 2% growth.

women in sports

The best news for women in 2024 comes from the world of sports. At the Paris Olympics, women made up a record 49% of the total competing population, a far cry from 1960, when women made up just 11.4% of Olympic athletes. It wasn’t until 2012 that the IOC allowed women to compete in all sports for the first time.

Caitlin Clark has achieved unprecedented milestones in the basketball world, making her a standout among athletes. In 2024, she was named to Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women and the first WNBA player to be named Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year, in recognition of her transformative impact on women’s sports. .

Interest in women’s basketball skyrocketed in 2024 due to Clark’s popularity. An average of 18.7 million viewers watched South Carolina defeat Iowa in the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship, making it the most-watched basketball game across men’s, women’s and college. , at the professional level — since the 2019 NCAA Men’s Championship game between Virginia and Texas Tech. The number of viewers was 19.6 million. By comparison, in 2024, 14.82 viewers watched the men’s NCAA basketball finals.

Other female athletes rose to prominence as well. For example, Alisa Trueu became the first female skateboarder to score 900 points in the halfpipe, a feat previously achieved only by male athletes, and she was only 14 years old.

As interest in women’s sports increases, opportunities for female athletes to play an active role are increasing. The PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) will open its first season in 2024, making it the first professional women’s hockey league to offer regular salaries to players. Additionally, plans for a new women’s professional baseball league were announced this year, with the league scheduled to launch in 2026. “The WPBL will rewrite history by creating an elite league that provides the platform the world’s best female players deserve and will serve as a catalyst for the creation of a women’s baseball culture in America,” a press release from the organization said. It is stated in the release.

reproductive rights law

Voters in seven states – Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York – approved measures to enshrine the right to abortion in state constitutions and protect access to reproductive health care. In some cases, these amendments overturn existing abortion bans and represent a significant shift toward protecting reproductive freedom. Similar ballot measures failed in three states: Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

2024 marked several milestones for women in politics, sport and leadership, but it also highlighted deep-rooted challenges hindering progress towards gender equality. Women have reached new heights in athletics, but political and corporate setbacks have served as a stark reminder of how much work remains.