GENEVA
The number of women in senior and middle management positions globally has risen over the last two decades, according to a new study by the International Labor Organization.
The proportion rose in 80 of the 108 countries for which ILO data is available, the organization said in the study released on Monday.
Deborah France-Massin, director of the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities, said: "An increasing number of studies are also demonstrating positive links between women’s participation in top decision-making teams and structures and business performance."
According to a survey quoted in the study, Norway has the highest global proportion of companies (13.3 per cent) with a woman as company board chairperson, followed by Turkey (11.1 per cent).
However, the gender gap for economic participation and opportunity now stands at 60 percent worldwide and it will take 81 years for the world to close the gap completely, the study stated.
Only five per cent or less of the CEOs of the world’s largest corporations are women.
"It is critical for more women to reach senior management positions in strategic areas to build a pool of potential candidates for top jobs such as CEO or company presidents," said France-Massin.
Challenging tasks
"However, ‘glass walls’ still exist with the concentration of women in certain types of management functions like HR, communications and administration," she added.
The study says women own and manage over 30 per cent of all businesses today but they are more likely to be found in micro and small enterprises, underlining that getting more women to grow their businesses is not only critical for equality but also for national development.
Jamaica has the highest proportion of women managers at 59.3 per cent, while Yemen has the least with 2.1 per cent.
The U.S. is 15th in the list of 108 countries with 42.7 per cent women managers, the UK 41st (34.2 per cent), Russia 25th (39.1 per cent) and Turkey holds 94th place (12.2)
The report also suggested the remaining gender gap could be closed by the provision of maternity protection coverage and child-care support, "changing mind-sets” to break cultural barriers, fighting sexual harassment and making sure women are given as challenging tasks as men from the very beginning of their career.
