Oliver Wyman Women in Consulting Webinar 2026

The push to support women in consulting comes at a moment when broader corporate commitment to gender equity is faltering. In late 2025, major reports documented a multi-year decline in companies prioritizing women's career advancement, with only about half of surveyed firms treating it as a high priority—down from earlier peaks. This retreat coincides with the first recorded ambition gap: women now express less interest in promotion than men, particularly at entry and senior levels, though the disparity vanishes when women receive equivalent sponsorship and advocacy.

The consulting sector reflects these pressures. Women remain underrepresented at higher levels despite often outnumbering men at entry and non-management positions. In some analyses, the sharpest drop occurs between lower and middle management, where women's share falls significantly, leaving top management at around 23% female in certain industry snapshots. Promotion rates lag: across corporate pipelines, only 93 women advance to manager for every 100 men, with even wider gaps for women of color.

These trends carry concrete consequences. Firms that sustain focus on women's advancement see higher representation and faster progress overall. Yet declining sponsorship, reduced manager support, and cuts to flexible work options—measures that disproportionately aid women's retention—risk widening leaks in the talent pipeline. In consulting, where client-facing roles demand diverse perspectives for complex problem-solving, underutilizing half the potential talent pool hampers innovation and performance.

The timing of initiatives like this webinar aligns with calls for recommitment in 2026. Reports explicitly frame the coming year as a critical window to reverse backsliding, rebuild sponsorship systems, and tie gender equity to business outcomes rather than optional values statements. Without renewed effort, stalled or reversing gains threaten to lock in structural disadvantages, affecting not just individual careers but firms' ability to attract top talent and deliver varied insights in a competitive industry.