International Women’s Day Finds More Women in Senior Roles - But Mature Economies Lagging Behind

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To mark today’s International Women’s Day, new research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report reveals that globally, more women are making it into senior management roles than at any time since 2010. However, progress is slower in the G7 group of developed economies, where economic performances have been stuttering, than in the high growth economies of Asia and the Far East.

Data shows that globally, 24% of senior management roles are now filled by women. This is up from 21% in 2012 and 20% in 2011. However, the G7 economies come bottom of the league table with just 21% of senior roles occupied by women. This compares to 28% in the BRIC economies, 32% in South East Asia and 40% in the Baltic states.

Japan (7% of senior roles occupied by women, the worst performer), the UK (19%) and the USA (20%) are in the bottom eight performing countries for women in senior management. These economies are also experiencing low levels of growth, with GDP in Japan (1.9%), UK (-0.1) and the USA (2.2%) in 2012 all modest. In comparison, top of the table for women in senior management is China, with 51%. GDP growth for 2012 there is expected to be between 7-8%. The top 10 also contains the growth economies of Latvia, Vietnam, Thailand and Philippines.

The situation is even starker when looking at boardroom positions. In the G7, just 16% of board members are women. This compares to 26% in the BRIC economies and 38% in the Baltic states.

Data reveals that flexible working, while welcomed by many, does not appear to be a determining factor in getting women into top positions. 72% of businesses in the poor-performing G7 countries provide flexible working, while in top of the table China only 27% of businesses offer flexible working, and only 40% in the BRIC economies.

In addition, 55% of businesses worldwide said they would be against the idea of quotas for the number of women on executive boards of large listed companies.

For more information, please visit: www.internationalbusinessreport.com.