International Women’s Day: which countries are best for women in business?

Tuesday, March 08, 2011 | Posted by: Fiona Cullinan
Categories: China , Russia, India, Thought leadership | Tags: business, statistics, global, entrepreneur, research, IBR, women in business, CEO, women, gender, board, boardroom, management, International business report, equality

As the world celebrates the 100th International Women’s Day, we discover which countries foster female success – and which fall short.

Fewer women in the C-suite globally
International Women’s Day celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

But it seems that there is still much progress to be made as newly released figures from the 2011 Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) show that, globally, the proportion of women in senior management has shrunk back to 2004 levels. However, there is an imbalance as some countries seem to actively foster successful businesswomen while others struggle to increase diversity in the boardroom.

Which countries score highest for women in top jobs?
Surprisingly, perhaps, the answer is Thailand. Across the world, Thailand boasts the greatest percentage of women in senior management (45%), followed by Georgia (40%), Russia (36%), Hong Kong and the Philippines (both 35%). Regionally, Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) scores highest with 27%.

Globally just 8% of companies with women in senior managerial positions have a female chief executive (CEO). But the story is different in Asian economies. Again Thailand leads the way with 30% of companies employing female CEOs, followed by mainland China (19%), Taiwan (18%) and Vietnam (16%).

Women have also become most successful in increasing their share of senior management roles in Thailand, Hong Kong, Greece, Belgium and Botswana, where the percentage of women in these roles has risen by at least 7% since 2009.

And the worst scorers for women in the boardroom?
The countries with the lowest percentages are India, the United Arab Emirates and Japan, where fewer than 10% of senior management positions are held by women.

The data also revealed that G7 countries lag behind the global average with only 16% of women holding senior roles.

April Mackenzie, Global Head of Public Policy and External Affairs for Grant Thornton, said:

“It is disappointing to see that the global proportion of women in senior management has shown no sign of growth, reverting instead to 2004 levels. Female executives appear to be bearing the brunt of the global economic downturn; however, many businesses are now feeling the pressure to review their policies, especially in light of recent government and media inquiries into the male dominance of boardrooms.

Some businesses will need to examine their levels of support offered to women to fall in line with quotas on female board representation, a solution currently in discussion in some countries. Others, especially in some emerging markets, are already ahead of the competition.”

You can read more key IBR findings over on our Elevate blog in Happy International Women’s Day – but where have all the women in business gone?

You might also find these links useful:

* UK boards need more women directors – but how?
* Women in the boardroom world map (infographic)
* BRICs lead the way in M&A