The West Midlands has seen a small improvement in its ranking in the annual PwC Women in Work Index, moving from 11th place in 2020 to tenth in 2021.
While the labour force participation rate fell by one per cent, the gender pay gap slightly narrowed from 16 per cent to 15.5 per cent in 2021.
The Index, first launched in 2010, is a weighted average of the five indicators that reflect women's participation in the labour market and equality in the workplace and analyses female economic empowerment across 33 countries.
While the West Midlands ranking moved slightly, the East Midlands saw one of the most improved performances in 2021, moving from seventh place to fourth, with the region's gender pay gap narrowing from 19 per cent to 16 per cent.
Becky Clayton, deals partner at PwC Midlands, said: "The Index demonstrates the impact the pandemic had on women in work, especially in the West Midlands.
"While indicators in the West Midlands remained fairly stagnant, the East Midlands saw significant improvements, highlighting the disparity across the regions.
"It is clear that we still have work to do, locally and nationally, to address some of the core barriers for women in work, including childcare provisions and the associated cost of childcare, as well as the cost-of-living crisis.
"It's key that investment into skills continues to be an important way to address inequality through creating inclusive workplaces and equal opportunities for women from all social backgrounds.
"As the Government continues to push the levelling up agenda and the Treasury considers expanding free childcare hours in England, businesses and local governments must work together to create more opportunities for women in the workplace."
