Women hold over 40 per cent of jobs globally
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — More women are managers in businesses than ever before but only about five per cent are chief executives of the world's largest companies, according to a new report.
The Dominican Republic is the country with the highest percentage (55.8 per cent) of women holding senior and middle-level managerial roles, while Jamaica tops the list of countries with the highest number of women managers overall (59.3 per cent), followed by Colombia (53.1 per cent), a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) found.
Yemen ranks last with only two per cent of management posts held by women.
"As documented in the report, evidence-based public policy design and gender-smart private sector practices can make a big difference in leveling the playing field for women in management," said Henriette Kolb, head of the Gender Secretariat at the International Financial Corporation, a part of the World Bank Group.
For example, she noted that in the case of the Dominican Republic, firm-level gender certification programs were established.
The United States takes 15th place on the list with women representing just over 40 per cent of all managers, while Britain is number 41 (34.2 per cent) among the 108 countries examined by the report.
However, the UK is among the four countries, including Sweden, Norway and Finland, where women hold over 20 per cent of board seats. Portugal, India and the United Arab Emirates are among the worst performers with less than five per cent of board positions held by women.
There are more women in paid employment than ever before and their growing presence in the job market has been the biggest engine of global growth and competitiveness, the ILO said.
According to several studies examined by the ILO, companies with more women in top roles tend to perform better, but the organisation was cautious in establishing a direct causal link.
Women hold over 40 per cent of jobs globally. They own and run 30 per cent of the world's businesses, but female leadership tends to be more common in small enterprises.
Despite significant strides, experts remain cautious in declaring that the so-called "glass ceiling" has been shattered.
"There is a long way to go before we achieve true gender equality in the workplace, especially when it comes to top management positions," said Deborah France-Massin, director of the ILO Bureau for Employers' Activities.
"'Glass walls' still exist with the concentration of women in certain types of management functions like human resources, communications and administration."
