Reykjavík Index 2025: Nigeria Is Ready for Women Leaders, Its Institutions Are Not

According to the Reykjavik Index for Leadership, Nigeria does not lack acceptance of women leaders. It lacks systems capable of converting that acceptance into economic power, institutional authority, and durable leadership pathways. The question is no longer whether Nigerians are ready for women leaders. It’s whether Nigerian institutions are fit for a society that already is.

Gatefield hosted a media webinar to present and discuss findings from the 2025–2026 Reykjavik Index for Leadership survey and to commemorate International Women’s Month, bringing together stakeholders to examine public perceptions of women in leadership and the policy gaps preventing those perceptions from translating into real opportunities.

The Index was launched in 2018 with support from the Icelandic Government, and it measures public attitudes toward women’s fitness for leadership across 23 sectors. It drew responses from 1,082 working-age Nigerians between 18 and 65 years old, with the sample weighted to represent national demographics. Nigeria’s aggregate score edged up to 59 out of 100 from 57 in 2024, a gain attributed largely to more open-minded attitudes among men. A score of 100 would mean that women and men were viewed by society as equally suitable for leadership.

The Nigerian analysis was produced by NarratEQ, Gatefield’s gender equality data hub. Shirley Ewang, Gatefield’s Advocacy Lead, presented the findings and has served as the primary spokesperson for the Nigeria findings.

An overwhelming majority of Nigerians express comfort with women in senior leadership positions. 89% would welcome a female CEO, and 77% are at ease with a woman serving as Head of Government. Despite this openness, actual representation remains far behind.

“While most Nigerians are comfortable with a woman leading, women occupy only 12% of CEO roles and 4% of National Assembly seats,” said Shirley Ewang. “This highlights a stark disparity between comfort levels and actual representation.”

For the first time in Nigeria’s participation in the Index, men are the primary force behind shifting perceptions. Women’s scores remained stable at 61, while men’s scores climbed from 53 to 56, bringing the gender perception gap down from eight points to five. The most significant movement came from men aged 45–65, a demographic traditionally regarded as more resistant to change.

Even as overall perception scores improved, the share of Nigerians who believe workplace equality has been achieved declined, falling from 62% in 2024 to 55% in 2025. This reveals a disconnect between support for women in leadership and the lived realities of daily work life. Notably, men were more inclined than women to acknowledge that equality has yet to be reached.

Across all 23 sectors assessed, distinct patterns of bias emerge. Banking and finance, education, and pharmaceutical or medical research scored highest, reflecting greater public acceptance of women leading in these areas.

At the opposite end, childcare scored the lowest at 33 (far behind every other sector), followed by fashion and beauty, and engineering.

“We expect women to carry the burden of care, but hesitate to see them as leaders shaping care systems. When care is treated as private, informal work rather than public infrastructure, women’s leadership in that space is systematically undervalued,” said Blessing Adesiyan, CEO of Caring Africa.

Meanwhile, meaningful progress was recorded in sectors historically dominated by men, with aerospace and automotive manufacturing registering some of the sharpest gains.

When Nigerians are asked what most influences their views on women in leadership, family background and upbringing rank first at 30%, followed by education at 18% and personal experience at 16%. Media and religion each account for 9%, with responses showing little variation between men and women.

On the global stage, Nigeria’s score of 59 places it just beneath Germany (60) and ahead of Kenya (56), though it still falls short of the G7 average of 68. Iceland retains the top position with a score of 86, while the G7 average has slipped to its lowest point since 2018. This shows a wide global shift in attitudes. Analysts emphasise that the central challenge now is translating improved perceptions into tangible action.