The representation of women in executive roles has increased over the past few decades, yet disparities persist across different types of executive positions. Women’s underrepresentation is particularly pronounced in line roles that oversee an organization’s core business functions compared to staff roles that provide support. We examine the individual and organizational factors driving women’s appointments to these distinct executive roles. Drawing on data from 5,020 top executives in 561 publicly traded European organizations, we find that women in line roles tend to have less function-specific experience and functional breadth than their male counterparts but are more likely to have worked at prestigious organizations and have a shorter career tenure. Women in staff executive roles differ from their male counterparts primarily by having more elite education and shorter career tenures. Furthermore, women’s representation on boards of directors and in top management teams serves as a critical organizational-level driver for other women’s appointments to executive roles, although it does not alter the individual-level requirements for women.
