Gender Gap – Senior roles filled by women in 2014: 24%

New research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) reveals that despite a groundswell of discussion and debate, the proportion of women holding the top jobs around the world remains at just under a quarter. The survey finds growing support for regulation around quotas to get women onto boards, but also several measures that businesses can take to facilitate the careers paths of women.

Globally, the proportion of senior roles filled by women in 2014 is 24%. This is exactly the same proportion as 2013, 2009 and 2007, and only 5% higher than the 19% recorded ten years ago in 2004 . Regionally, there has been very little significant change over the past decade with Eastern Europe (37%), southeast Asia (35%) and China (38%) leading the way. Japan (9%), India and the United Arab Emirates (both 14%) continue to prop up the table.

Francesca Lagerberg, global leader for tax services at Grant Thornton, said: “That greater diversity in decision-making produces better outcomes is no longer up for debate. For businesses, better decisions mean stronger growth, so it is in their interests to facilitate the path of women from the classroom to the boardroom.

“The concern is that recent improvements in the access of women to education, especially in emerging markets, has not translated into higher proportions of women reaching the top of the corporate ladder. And while women are more likely to achieve these senior roles in emerging markets, there has been a worrying lack of movement globally over the past decade. This is clear evidence that we need actions rather than words. I would like to see businesses and governments implementing measures that support the career paths of women. Nothing should be left off the table.”

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Women in business: from classroom to boardroom.