Women in Finance: Insights from 2025 Pay Report

June 16, 2025

Summary (TL;DR)

Insights from the 2025 Women in Finance Compensation Report – based on survey data from 100+ women across finance leadership
What’s shaping compensation, promotion paths and equity access for women in finance today
Where women are advancing fastest – and what tradeoffs come with that acceleration
How working mothers, company size and mentorship gaps are reshaping the future of finance leadership
A practical career action plan to help you pressure test your pay, assess your path and take the next step with clarity
Download the full report for deeper industry breakdowns, benchmarks by role and the data behind each insight

Are you being paid – and supported – at the level you deserve?

We partnered with Wednesday Women and the Females in Finance Collective to survey 109 women across finance leadership – from managers to CFOs – and uncover what’s really happening with compensation, promotions and career momentum in 2025.

Some are breaking records. Others are hitting walls. And the biggest barriers? They’re not always visible in the salary data.

Are you earning what you should for your role? Are you in an industry that accelerates your growth – or stalls it? What does a real leadership opportunity actually look like today?

This article breaks down key insights from the 2025 Women in Finance Compensation Report – and surfaces the patterns finance leaders should be watching.

Female CFOs earn $250,000 total comp (more than the national executive average)

Across industries, the median annual wage for financial executives – regardless of gender – is $206,420 for 2024 ($206,680 in 2023). But for women in senior finance roles today, the landscape looks different depending on where you are in your career journey.

If you’re benchmarking your compensation, here’s what the 2025 data shows:

CFOs: 91% of female CFOs surveyed report earning at least $250,000 in total annual compensation (base + bonus + equity)
Vice Presidents (VPs) and Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs): 67% have crossed the $250,000 threshold
Directors: Majority (53%) earn between $150,000–$200,000, with just 13% earning more than $250,000
Controllers and Managers: Salaries trend lower at these levels, as expected with career stage. The majority earn under $200,000, and nearly one-third of managers report earning less than $100,000.

Chart showing total annual compensation for women in finance – including base salary, bonus and equity – segmented by industry. Source: 2025 Women in Finance Compensation Report by Zone & Co. — *Figure 1: Annual compensation for women in finance, segmented by industry*

So what’s shaping these compensation outcomes? Industry and company size matter – a lot more than you might expect.

Where finance women are accelerating their careers – and where the tradeoffs come in

If you're a woman in finance looking to break through faster, two paths stand out: software companies and smaller firms.

In the software industry, women are surging ahead. Promotions are more frequent. Equity is on the table. Compensation is outpacing other industries. Nearly half of women in software finance roles report earning $250K or more.

Smaller firms, meanwhile, are a different kind of opportunity. They’re riskier. But they move faster. Women are landing CFO and VP titles at companies under $50M in revenue more often than their peers at larger enterprises. Promotions come quicker. Visibility is higher. But so is the workload, long working hours and the burnout potential.

So what’s the play?

If you’re optimizing for title and trajectory, you may find a faster path in a high-growth startup or a software business. But if you're trading hours for impact, are you getting compensated in all the right ways – equity, bonus, flexibility?

That’s where it gets more nuanced – and where your next move should be intentional, not reactive.

The full report dives deeper into these insights and compensation trends by company size, industry and role – so you can see where you stand and where you might want to go next.

But it’s not just the company you’re in. Life stage matters too – and motherhood, in particular, challenges outdated assumptions.

Is motherhood really a career risk in finance?

That’s the narrative many women have been told – but the data tells a different story.

Working mothers in finance are out-earning their non-mother peers – and more of them are holding senior titles.

Nearly twice as many finance moms report earning $200K+ and holding VP-level roles or higher. What’s driving that? Experience. Over 80% of these women have 11+ years under their belt – and they know how to advocate for the benefits, flexibility and compensation that match their value.

They’ve also become role models and mentors. The ones younger women look to when they’re asking: Can I really do both?

Yes – but not without tradeoffs. And not without support.

The companies getting it right are enabling smoother exits and re-entries around maternity – not just for retention, but because these women are among their most seasoned, capable leaders.

“Having children helped me be a much more supportive manager,” said Desene Sterling, Controller at Sourcegraph.

2025 Women in Finance Compensation Report by Zone & Co, designed to help compare companies on pay, benefits, promotions, leadership, representation of mothers in finance and work-life balance.

Mentorship for women in finance disappears when they need it most

One of the biggest obstacles that females in finance face in breaking into the upper echelons of leadership is a systemic lack of structured mentorships. While mentors are plentiful in the early stages of career development, they quickly become scarce as women move up the chain and that’s where they’re often needed the most.

Chart showing the mentorship gap for females in finance, segmented by job title. Source: 2025 Women in Finance Compensation Report by Zone & Co. — *Figure 2: Mentorship gap among senior finance women, as revealed by survey results.*

What’s driving the problem? “The lack of women in C-suite positions is a self-perpetuating cycle,” according to Deanna Strable, executive vice president and CFO at Principal Financial Services.

Women make up 52% of entry-level finance roles. But just 18% reach the C-suite at large firms, according to the World Economic Forum.

"Finding a male advocate is a requirement to getting to the next step. I’ve found some of my hardest critics to be other women," remarked a survey participant.

So, what can you do? Build your own network of trusted peers, seek out executive sponsors who can advocate for you and don’t hesitate to ask for guidance from those who’ve been in your shoes. If formal mentorship isn’t available, find your own. The right connections can make all the difference.

“It can be lonely,” one respondent shared. “Joining with other women to support one another and lead a path for the next generation of leaders is really important.”

What to do next: Your career action plan

If you're a woman in finance today, you’re likely outperforming expectations – maybe even your peers. But recognition, advancement and support aren’t always keeping pace. So the question isn’t if you’re ready for the next step. It’s: Are you in a place that’s ready for you?

Here’s what we’d challenge you to ask – and act on – based on the data:

1. Pressure test your compensation

You're not guessing anymore. You have the benchmarks. Now use them.

Where do you fall compared to others in similar roles, industries and company sizes?
If you’re below, is it a reflection of performance – or undervaluation?
If you’re above, are you getting equity, flexibility and promotion velocity to match?

2. Track more than titles – track trajectories

Promotions aren’t the only signal of progress. But they’re a big one.

Are women in your company actually moving up?
What does “leadership potential” look like where you work – and who’s being measured by it?

3. Choose your tradeoffs, don’t inherit them

Some companies give you equity. Some give you burnout. Some give you both.

If you're putting in the hours, is the upside worth it?
If you're in a role with “flexibility,” is it real or just optics?

You don’t have to accept the first version of success handed to you. Redefine what it looks like – and go find the roles that support it.

4. If mentorship is missing – start building what you wish existed

The data shows the pipeline breaks down at the top. That doesn’t mean you have to go it alone.

Find the peers who get it.
Backchannel for honest insight.
Be the mentor you needed five years ago – and ask others to be that for you now.

These are the connections that open doors. Even when formal systems fail.

As you chart your next move, here’s what women in finance leadership want you to keep in mind – in their own words:

"Embrace your commitment and ambition to ascend the corporate ladder."

“Don’t lose who you are."

"Bring other women with you as you ascend in an organization. We have the opportunity to continue to make the changes we want to see."

FAQs

Which industries offer the best opportunities for women in finance?

Software leads the way. Women in finance roles at software companies report faster promotions, higher compensation and greater access to equity. Nearly half are earning $250K or more, and many are negotiating stock packages on top of a strong base. It’s also one of the few industries where women are consistently climbing the ladder – not just plateauing below it.‍

Do working mothers in finance get promoted often?

Yes, working mothers in finance do get promoted – and they’re often outperforming expectations. Mothers in finance are more likely to be in VP or higher roles and nearly twice as likely to earn $200K+ compared to non-mothers. Experience plays a role – 80%+ have 11+ years under their belt – but so does knowing how to advocate for what matters: flexibility, support and compensation that matches their contribution.‍

How does company size affect women's advancement in finance?

Smaller firms can fast-track your rise – but the pace comes with pressure. Women are hitting CFO and VP titles earlier at companies under $50M in revenue. Promotions happen more frequently, and visibility is higher. But long hours and lean teams can mean less support and higher burnout risk. Bigger companies offer more stability, but the promotion pipeline can stall – especially beyond director level. ‍

How can finance organizations support working mothers better?

It starts with designing for re-entry, not just exit. And support shouldn’t just be about parental leave but also about what happens after. Clear ramp-back plans. Flexible schedules with real decision-making power. Access to leadership paths, not detours. The most successful companies treat motherhood as a growth phase – not a career pause.‍

What are the biggest challenges for women in finance leadership?

The higher you go, the fewer mentors you’ll find – especially ones who are similar to you. Lack of structured mentorship at the senior level. Slower promotion cycles at large firms. Persistent gaps in equity and bonus comp. And too often, the burden to “prove it again” in leadership meetings others walk into with assumed credibility. That’s why women are building their own networks – and rewriting the rules instead of waiting for them to change.