For the first time in a decade, Chief Executive Women's (CEW) 2026 senior executive census of ASX-listed companies found women's share of leadership roles was down from the previous year.
The share of ASX300 chief executive appointments going to women fell from one in four in 2025 to one in seven in 2026, the census report released on Wednesday found.
Women's share of ASX200 executive leadership roles fell from 32 to 31 per cent in 2026, and the number of ASX300 companies with no women on their executive leadership team rose from 17 to 25.
"At the current pace, ASX200 companies will not achieve gender parity in CEO roles in the working lifetimes of most people now in the workforce," the report said.
CEW also assessed the cultural origins of women in ASX300 executive leadership teams for the first time, finding just 23.5 per cent of women in executive roles were from outside Anglo-Celtic and North-West European backgrounds.
CEW president Helen Conway, who set up Australia's Workplace Gender Equality Agency, urged companies to take the shift in women's representation seriously amid a crisis of gender-based violence.
"We're experiencing a crisis of lack of respect for women at the moment, and in some cases we just see outright misogyny, and that often leads to shocking violence," she told AAP.
"If we see the deterioration in the corporate environment, that has ramifications more broadly.
"Corporate leaders need to contribute to creating inclusive, equitable environments as part of their social licence to operate, and then that seeps out into society," she said.
The census also surveyed CEW's members - senior female leaders - on the state of gender equality within their organisations.
About one third (32 per cent) observed greater opposition to gender equality in their organisation in the past year.
One in five poll respondents mentioned US President Donald Trump and his impact on respectful dialogue, CEW chief executive Lisa Annese said.
"The impact of the licence to be able to say anything disrespectful that you want to be able to say about women ... when you change what is acceptable discourse, that has real-life implications for people," she said.
"People want to work in environments that are respectful and safe. Hostile work environments are not conducive to great performance and productivity."
She encouraged Australia's corporate leaders to set and publish gender targets of at least 40 per cent women, 40 per cent men and 20 per cent of any gender in executive teams.
CEW has called for flexible, safe and inclusive workplaces to be created and sustained, and for companies to address any backlash or pushback against gender equality - whether it occurs publicly or within the organisation.
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