After years of climbing the corporate ladder, many mid-career women are deciding the next step in their careers isn’t another promotion—it’s ownership.
According to a recent Forbes report, women who once pursued executive titles and leadership roles within large corporations are increasingly leaving traditional workplaces to launch businesses, build consulting practices, and create independent careers that offer greater autonomy and control. The shift comes amid growing dissatisfaction with corporate structures that many women say have failed to deliver the power, influence, and security they were promised.
Channing Martin, a former global chief diversity and social impact officer, told Forbes that her perspective changed after losing her job following a corporate acquisition.
“I had to come to the realization and the acceptance that I wasn’t as powerful as I thought I was,” Martin said. “These corporate systems and structures aren’t designed to do what I want to do.”
For many women, the frustration goes beyond burnout. Forbes
reports that Deloitte’s Women @ Work 2025 survey found only 5% of women expect to remain with their current employer for more than five years, while roughly four in 10 anticipate leaving within one to two years. Opportunities for advancement ranked as the top factor women said would help them succeed.The changing economic landscape is also influencing career decisions. Forbes notes that employers announced approximately 1.2 million job cuts in 2025, while tech companies alone eliminated more than 52,000 positions during the first quarter of 2026 amid increased use of AI in operating systems.
As confidence in long-term corporate stability declines, more women are betting on themselves. According to data cited by Forbes, women launched 44% of new businesses in 2025, up significantly from 29% in 2019. Meanwhile, the number of independent professionals earning more than $100,000 annually has surged since 2020.
For former corporate leaders such as Toni Ronayne, founder of a collective for fractional chief executives, independence offers a sense of security that traditional employment no longer guarantees.
“Fractional leadership provides a certain level of autonomy,” Ronayne told Forbes. “You get to choose who you work with.”
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