Phl among top countries with more women managers

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is among the top five countries with most women holding senior and middle management positions over the last 20 years, according to a new United Nations report.

The Philippines ranked fourth among countries with the most female managers, with a 47.6 percentage share, the study showed.

Jamaica topped the list with 59.3 percent and was followed by Colombia with 53.1 percent.

Meanwhile, the United States was in 15th place with 42.7 percent, and the United Kingdom is 41st with 34.2 percent.

The study entitled “Women in Business and Management: Gaining Momentum” released by the International Labor Organization (ILO) Bureau for Employers’ Activities covered 80 of 108 companies for which ILO data are available.

The study also showed only five percent or less of the chief executive officers of the world’s largest corporations are women. The larger the company, the less likely the head will be a woman.

“All-male company boards are still common but are decreasing in number, with women attaining 20 percent or more of all board seats in a handful of countries,” an ILO statement reads.

A global survey quoted in the study noted that Norway (13.3 percent) has the highest global proportion of companies with a woman as the board chairperson, followed by Turkey (11.1 percent).

“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 CEOs or company presidents,” said Deborah France-Massin, director of the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities.

“However, ‘glass walls’ still exist with the concentration of women in certain types of management functions like human resources, communications and administration,” France-Massin added.

Today, women own and manage over 30 percent of all businesses, but they are more likely to be found in micro and small enterprises.

“Our research is showing that women’s ever increasing participation in the labor market has been the biggest engine of global growth and competitiveness,” said France-Massin.

She noted an “increasing number of studies are also demonstrating positive links between women’s participation in top decision making teams and structures and business performance.”

“But there is a long way to go before we achieve true gender equality in the workplace, especially when it comes to top management positions,” she added.

According to the ILO report, getting more women to grow their businesses is not only critical for equality but also for national development.