A record number of women are Fortune 500 CEOs
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The number of women running Fortune 500 companies hit a new high this year, per the latest tally by Fortune magazine.
Why it matters: It's still a shockingly low number, considering that women make up half the population, and are now outpacing men in education and other spheres.
By the numbers: There are 55 women CEOs leading the nation's biggest firms by revenue.
- This is the first time the share of women leading these giant firms has crossed the 10% barrier.
Zoom in: The highest ranked Fortune 500 firm run by a woman is General Motors (ranked 18 on the list), led by CEO Mary Barra.
- Six companies, including CVS Health and Duke Energy, lost a woman leader this year and replaced her with a male CEO, Fortune reports.
- Meanwhile, nine new women landed the top spot at other firms, most of them promoted from within.
Between the lines: The turn away from diversity, equity and inclusion poses threats to women's progress to the top job, Jennifer McCollum, president and CEO of Catalyst, a workplace gender equity organization, tells Fortune.
The bottom line: Progress, even for some of the most privileged women in the country, still comes at a crawl.
