HR Daily reports on GLWS’s own research, The Gender Wellbeing Gap 2025, drawing on data from more than 8,000 respondents.

The findings are stark: women in professional and leadership roles are around 25% more likely than men to report lower work-related wellbeing, and their wellbeing has been on a “concerning descent” since 2016 across all four subjective wellbeing measures.

GLWS psychologists and report authors Audrey McGibbon and Carly Arkinstall argue that true gender equality must be measured “not only by opportunity, representation and reward but also by wellbeing” – reframing a familiar equality conversation around a dimension most organisations aren’t tracking.

As Audrey puts it, even women cultivating hope and grounded optimism are affected: “even the most cheerful and positive are wilting.”

Key takeaways:

• Women in professional and leadership roles are about 25% more likely than men to report lower work-related wellbeing, and their wellbeing has declined steadily since 2016.

• The proportion of professional women reporting very high work-related wellbeing has fallen by 54.8% since 2016 — to a new low of just 7.5%.

• On stress, emotional turmoil, depression and self-doubt, the toll on women runs around 30% higher than for their male colleagues.

• Women were 34% more likely than men to feel uncertain about their career direction – 47% lacked a clear vision for how they wanted their careers to evolve, versus 35% of men.

• “Vitality and energy” was the lowest-scoring dimension and the sharpest area of decline — a potential signal of unsustainable work demands.

• The one dimension where women consistently outscored men was authentic relationships – they keep investing in key personal connections even under strain.

The report reframes gender equality itself: not just opportunity, representation and reward, but wellbeing — and offers practical steps for employers, from dismantling systemic barriers to targeted leadership development.