Women in C-suite roles decline amid DEI pullback

The corporate push for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is losing steam, with a sharp decline in women and minority leadership roles across major companies. At Meta, for example, the share of women on the board fell from 44% in 2022 to just 23% today.

In the past year, no women were recruited as CEOs into Fortune 500 companies, except maybe internal hires.

The quiet retreat in hiring people of color, women, and LGBTQIA+ executives comes amid the growing White House and the conservative backlash against DEI initiatives.

In response, many candidates are choosing to mask parts of their identity, such as removing pronouns from resumes.

Simultaneously, companies are adopting stricter job criteria that disproportionately filter out underrepresented groups.

While some firms continue to defend DEI initiatives to mitigate legal and reputational risks, the underlying shift is clear: for many, diversity in leadership is no longer a top priority.