The 2025 women in finance compensation report: How does your company compare on pay, leadership and work-life balance?
Pay is up. Leadership opportunities are growing. But progress comes with trade-offs.
Women in finance are earning more than ever – 91% of female CFOs in our data report $250K+ total comp. But the path to get there? Still fragmented.
Small companies offer faster promotions but burn out top talent. Larger firms provide structure but stall growth. Working mothers outperform expectations but often have to outwork everyone to do it. And as women rise, mentorship dries up.
Some key insights:
- Software leads on pay – nearly half of the women in software report $250K+ total comp (base + bonus + equity)
- Smaller firms move careers faster – but come with longer hours and lower satisfaction
- Working mothers outpace peers in compensation – 58% of working mothers earn $200K+ vs. 31% of non-mothers
- Mentorship gaps widen at senior levels – only 13% of VPs and 17% of Controllers rate their company highly on mentorship
- Flexibility becomes a competitive advantage – 65% rate their workplace 8/10 or higher for schedule flexibility
- Leadership access narrows at the top – just 14% of women at $1B+ companies are promoted every 1–2 year
The full report breaks down career progression, compensation by role and industry, the motherhood penalty myth – and what women really experience as they move toward the C-suite.
Whether you're a CFO or Controller building your team – or navigating your own next move – this report gives you the context (and benchmarks) to make informed decisions. Download the full report now.
