Women gaining leadership positions, but parity still lacking

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Women are filling more board seats in Wisconsin’s largest companies, according to data from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and a Wisconsin Policy Forum survey of companies.  

The data said 31% of board seats in Wisconsin’s 50 largest publicly traded companies, which is 141 out of 459, and 23% in the state’s 50 largest private companies87 of 373, are filled by women, as of June 2025. 

According to the report, it is the largest percentage in Wisconsin’s history, but the state is still lagging other Midwest states, where the percentage is closer to 36%, overall 

Women held only 5% of these roles in 1992 in public companies 

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