Women in Work Index 2026

PwC’s 2026 Women in Work Index, now in its 15th year, tracks the progress of women in the workplace across 33 OECD countries using five indicators covering pay, participation, unemployment and full‑time employment for women. This year shows progress across the OECD has slowed to its weakest level since the pandemic, driven by a historic fall in full‑time employment for women and rising unemployment rates.

The primary driver for Ireland’s performance is a gender pay gap improvement. Ireland’s gender pay gap (calculated using Eurostat data measuring the gap between median female income and median male income) narrowed significantly, falling from 11.8% to 8% and is ahead of the OECD average of 12.4%, indicating faster movement toward pay equality compared to peer economies. 

Gerard McDonough, Partner, PwC Workforce Advisory practice, PwC Ireland, said: 

“Ireland has performed well in this latest PwC Women in Work Index rankings and reflects a positive movement in the gender pay gap.  It should be noted that the narrowing of the gender pay gap for Ireland in the report, determined by Eurostat data, reflects a similar trend as that in Ireland’s Central Statistics Office report.  Improvements in the gender pay gap enhance the organisation all-round, creating a fair and inclusive workplace where everyone thrives. This in turn can boost a company’s attractiveness to talent, improve morale, productivity and retention and ensure that diverse viewpoints are factored into decision making across all levels in the organisation.”   

OECD position - overall rankings

This year’s OECD report overall highlights that gender disparities in the labour market are narrowing, with women across OECD countries returning to work in greater numbers driven by cost-of-living pressures, whilst the gender pay gap continues to fall in this year’s report. 

However, the global economic slowdown has adversely affected labour demand, leading to increased female unemployment rates and a reduction in full-time employment for women. Consequently, women’s labour market prospects in OECD nations have shown the smallest improvement since Covid, and in G7 countries they have slightly declined.

Iceland continues to lead the OECD rankings, followed by Luxembourg, New Zealand, Sweden and Slovenia. The UK ranks in the middle at 17th out of 33 countries, while Australia has moved up to 10th place from 19th in 2020. 

Countries at the top feature supportive parental leave and childcare policies. These policies enable women to remain in the workforce, improving progression opportunities.

Doone O’Doherty, People Partner and Workforce Tax Partner, PwC Ireland, concluded: “The countries that succeed will be those that invest in strong foundations in education and continued skills development. Employers have a crucial role in creating clear pathways into work and helping their people continue to learn and adapt. Improving in the Women in Work Index is not only a social imperative – it is an economic one, with billions in potential GDP at stake.” 

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Notes to editors 

About the data:

1. The international Index rankings are based on 2024 data, due to a lag in availability of annual data across all indicators and countries in the Index. This is the latest annual data available at the time of publication.

2. The PwC Women in Work Index began in 2011 and tracks the progress of women in the workplace across the 33 OECD countries using a combination of indicators to gain a holistic view of labour market performance for women. The five indicators that make up the Women in Work Index are: the gender pay gap, the female labour force participation rate, the gap between male and female labour force participation rates, the female unemployment rate, and the female full-time employment rate.

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