Research

Women in Leadership (Quick Take)

Mar 01, 2022

GLOBAL

Globally, the Share of Women in Senior Management Is Increasing Incrementally1

In 2021, the proportion of women in senior management roles globally grew to 31%, the highest number ever recorded. 1

Ninety percent of companies worldwide have at least one woman in a senior management role as of 2021.1

Women’s senior leadership roles are also shifting.

While women leaders are still more likely to be HR directors compared to other roles, this proportion has decreased from 2020 to 2021. In the same time frame, the proportion of women in other leadership roles like CEO, Chief Finance Officer, and Chief Information Officer has increased.1

  • In 2021, 26% of all CEOs and managing directors were women, compared to only 15% in 2019.1
  • The Fortune Global 500 reported an all-time high of 23 women CEOs in 2021, including six women of color.2
The proportion of women in senior leadership differs by region:1
Region Percentage of Women in Senior Management (2021)
Africa 39%
Southeast Asia (ASEAN) 38%
Latin America 36%
European Union 34%
North America 33%
Asia Pacific (APAC) 28%
The Higher Up the Corporate Ladder, the Fewer Women

A 2020 analysis by Mercer of over 1,100 organizations across the world found a leaky pipeline for women in leadership:3

  • Executives: 23%
  • Senior managers: 29%
  • Managers: 37%
  • Professionals: 42%
  • Support staff: 47%

ASIA-PACIFIC

In Australia, Men Dominate Senior Levels of Management4

In 2020-2021, women represented over a third (41%) of all managers in Australia.4

Women are less likely to reach the top levels of management.

In 2020-2021, women accounted for:4

  • 19.4% of CEOs
  • 32.5% of heads of business (HOB) and KMP/HOB
  • 34.5% of key management personnel (KMP)
  • 34.1% of other executives
  • 37.4% of senior managers
  • 43.4% of other managers
Other Countries in the Region Have Some of the Lowest Representation of Women Managers Globally 5

In 2021, women held only 10% of management roles and were only 5% of CEOs in India.6

The Representation of Women in Management in Selected Asia-Pacific Countries, 20216
Country Percentage of Women in Management
India 10%
South Korea 8%
Russian Federation 6%
Pakistan 4%
Japan Is Falling Short of Its Own Goals

After extending the timeline of a proposed 2020 target of 30%, women in Japan still hold only 15% of management roles in 2021, despite making up 40% of the workforce—a number that remained steady from 2013 to 2019.7

Women’s representation is not distributed equally across levels of management:8

  • Vice presidents: 7%
  • Senior managers: 11%
  • Managers: 19%

 

EUROPE

Women Are Underrepresented as Managers in the EU9

Women are almost half of all those employed in the EU (46.3%) and yet were just 35.3% of managers as of 2021.10

Percentage of Women Managers in Selected European Countries, 2021 (Q3)11
Country Percentage of Women Managers
European Union (27) 35.3%
France 38.3%
Germany 30.1%
Italy 28.6%
Netherlands 25.5%
Norway 35.2%
Spain 33.9%
Sweden 43.8%
Switzerland 33.1%

Among the largest publicly listed companies in the European Union (EU-27) in 2021, only 20.2% of executives and 7.8% of CEOs are women.12

Despite Board Progress, the United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 Still Lacks Women in Top Leadership13
  • In 2021, there were only 31 women in executive roles across 27 companies—including only 8 CEOs. 14

NORTH AMERICA

Before they even get close to the glass ceiling, women in the US and Canada face barriers in advancing to their first management roles.15

Only 86 women are promoted to manager for every 100 men promoted to the same level, resulting in fewer women available for promotion at even higher levels.15

  • Women of color were promoted to manager at the same rate as all women total for the first time ever in 2021.15
In 2021, women employees in the US and Canada represented:15
All Women Women of Color
C-Suite 24% 4%
Senior Vice President 27% 5%
Vice President 30% 7%
Senior Manager/Director 35% 9%
Manager 41% 12%
Entry Level 48% 17%

CANADA

Men Continue to Hold Over 90% of C-Level Executive Roles16

In Canada, women accounted for slightly more than a third (35.6%) of all managers and 30.9% of senior managers in 2021.17

Women were only 52 of the 533 named executive officers among Canada’s 100 largest publicly traded corporations in 2021.16

  • Women were only 20.5% of C-suite positions in 2021 on the S&P/TSX composite index, up from just 16% in 2015.18
  • In 2021, the most common position for women among executive officers in the C-suite was CFO (13 women).16

UNITED STATES

Despite a Record-High Number of Fortune 500 Women CEOs in 2021, There Are Still More Than Ten Times as Many Companies Run by Men Than Women19

In the United States, women were nearly half (47.0%) of the labor force,20 but only 40.9% of managers in 2021.21

In 2021, white women held almost a third (32.6%) of all management positions.22

Women of color held a drastically smaller share of management positions:22

  • Latinas: 4.3%
  • Black women: 4.3%
  • Asian women: 2.7%

In 2021, women made up the highest share of managers in human resources (74.8%). Their share of management in selected other industries was:23

  • Medical and health services: 75.1%
  • Marketing: 61.5%
  • Food service: 48.5%

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

How to cite this product: Women in management: Quick take. (2022). Catalyst.

  1. Women in business 2021: A window of opportunity. (2021). Grant Thornton.
  2. Hinchliffe, E. (2021, August 2). The number of women running Global 500 businesses soars to an all-time high. Fortune.
  3. Edwards, R., Guzzo, R., Jackson, C., Knoepflmacher, A., & Nalbantian, H. (2020). Let’s get real about equality: When women thrive 2020 global report. Mercer.
  4. Australia’s gender equality scorecard. (2022). Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
  5. Kersley, R., Klerk, E., Jiang, B., Camazzi Weber, S., Natzkoff, J., Kharbanda, A., Sezer Longworth, B., & Zumbühl, P. (2021). The Credit Suisse gender 3000 in 2021: Broadening the diversity discussion. Credit Suisse.
  6. Kersley et al. (2021).
  7. Higuchi, M., Horii, M., Inoue, M., Sogi, M., & Yamakawa, N. (2021, April 27). Mobilizing women to step up as leaders in Japan. McKinsey & Company.
  8. Higuchi et al. (2021).
  9. Women remain outnumbered in management. (2021, March 5). Eurostat News.
  10. Eurostat. (2022). Employment by sex, age, professional status and occupation (1 000) [Data set] European Commission.
  11. Eurostat. (2022). Employees by sex, age and occupation (1 000)[Data set]. European Commission.
  12. Gender Statistics Database. (2021). Largest listed companies: CEOs, executives and non-executives [Data set]. European Institute for Gender Equality.
  13. Vinnicombe, S., De Largy, C., Tessaro, M., Battista, V., & Anderson, D. (2021). The female FTSE board report 2021. Cranfield University
  14. Vinnicombe et al. (2021).
  15. Women in the workplace 2021. (2021). McKinsey & Company and Lean In.
  16. The 16th annual Rosenzweig report. (2021). Rosenzweig & Company.
  17. Statistics Canada. (2022). Table 14-10-0335-01: Labour force characteristics by occupation, annual [Data set]. Labour force survey.
  18. Welcome to the Canada chapter. The 30% Club.
  19. Hinchliffe, E. (2021, June 2). The female CEOs in this year’s Fortune 500 just broke three all-time records. Fortune.
  20. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Table 3: Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by age, sex, and race [Data set]. Current Population Survey.
  21. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Table 11: Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity [Data set]. Current Population Survey.
  22. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022) Table 1: Employed and experienced unemployed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, annual average 2021 [Unpublished data set]. Current Population Survey.
  23. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Table 1: Employed and experienced unemployed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, annual average 2021 [Unpublished data set]. Current Population Survey.