Afloat: The anti-DEI wave has not swept women CEOs aside

Women business leaders have grown despite political resistance

- BETH KOWITT

Progress for female executives has always been so slow and plodding that every milestone, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, gets celebrated. But recently, sounding the alarm for women in corporate America has supplanted cheering the wins. And no wonder—a growing list of data points signal that the right's attack on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is chipping away at women's progress toward the boardroom and corner office:

The proportion of women being appointed to boards has declined for the last two years. It will now take even longer for women to reach parity in the C-suite than was previously estimated.

Boards increasingly want a female executive who has taken the extra step of serving as president on their way to becoming chief executive officer—something they're less likely to be required of male leaders. Or they're no longer interested in considering a diverse slate of candidates when filling the top job. As one headline warned, "The job market is brutal for women executives."

I've been one of those doom-and-gloom trackers myself. Last year, I wrote about how corporate women's gains were falling victim to an anti-woke backlash.