This report, in partnership with the Women on Boards Community Interest Company, explores barriers to women’s representation and participation in leadership and board positions across Small and Medium Enterprise sectors in the UK and provides recommendations to overcome them. The report draws on collaborative research led by Dr. Paroma Bhattacharya, Sankirtana Kumar Tharamel and Professor Connson Locke, using Think Tank community reflections and other work undertaken by Oxford Brookes and De Montfort universities. The report has been endorsed by UN Women UK, as a Collaborative Partner.The report will support the work of a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Equitable Governance, chaired by Sarah Edwards MP, launched at the UK House of Lords on 30th September 2025. LSE representation will be maintained by Dr. Jen Fensome on the associated APPG Business Board. LSE has been working with the Women on Boards Community Interest Company since their inception in 2023, to support their aim to champion female leaders and diversify boardrooms in SMEs and micro-businesses. The Women on Boards Community Interest Company has attracted a large network of experts, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and political stakeholders, including partners such as UN Women UK and Barclays Eagle Labs, to help understand the barriers faced by women in business and to identify possible policy solutions.
Read the report here.