Early Indicators of Gender Equality Progress in Multinational Organisations: A Practice-Based Account and an Analysis Blueprint for Selected Asian Contexts

Zsuzsanna Tungli
Developing Global Leaders

Abstract

Multinational organisations often commit to gender equality, yet progress can be slow or stall because organisations lack clear data on where inequality builds across the employee journey and because barriers are reinforced through everyday decisions about selection, voice, recognition, and advancement. This presentation combines a practice-based account – drawing on consulting work across multiple organisations – with a proposed study and a practical blueprint that organisations can use to diagnose barriers, track change, and identify early signs of future progress. The presentation summarises key (non-exhaustive) factors that commonly shape outcomes. In some contexts, societal expectations around caregiving and beliefs about who “looks like” a leader can influence assumptions about availability and leadership potential. Within organisations, a major barrier is missing or fragmented gender data, which makes it difficult to pinpoint where inequality builds, where progression slows, and which initiatives are working. Alongside this measurement challenge, recurring pressure points often appear in everyday decision-making routines and talent systems. These include whose input is invited and credited, how hiring and promotion decisions are made, who gains access to senior leadership development, sponsorship, and influential networks, and how pay and recognition are allocated. These patterns can be reinforced by policy–practice gaps, where leave and flexible work exist but aren’t always used, and by the unequal allocation of important but less rewarded “extra” work such as administration, coordination, and emotional support. Individual responses to these conditions – such as under-rating performance and understating achievements – can also contribute to gender gaps, and gaps can be amplified when other aspects of identity or status also affect opportunity (for example local/expat status, ethnicity, age, disability, or LGBTQ+ identity). Proposed study and blueprint objective: The proposed study tests whether a small set of practical key questions and measurements can be used as early indicators of an organisation’s likely future progress on gender equality, using multi-organisation case comparisons and drawing on HR/pipeline data and document review. The blueprint focuses on three measurement inputs, framed as key questions: (1) What do five-year dashboards across the employee cycle show (job adverts and applications through shortlisting, hiring, pay, performance ratings, promotions, and exits)? (2) What do five-year gender patterns in succession planning show? (3) Who has participated over the past five years in senior leadership development and sponsorship programs? The study then compares baseline indicator patterns with follow-up outcomes (for example changes in senior representation, promotion rates, pay gaps, and exit patterns) to assess which indicators are most useful for signalling progress and where action is most needed. This presentation’s contribution is a clear, adaptable blueprint that links workplace realities with a focused set of measures that support practical accountability and sustained change.

Presentation