UK behind Phillipines in appointing women to senior management posts

Senior female managers are still poorly represented in the UK private sector, statistics have revealed.

The latest International Business Report by accountacny firm Grant Thornton, which polled 7,200 firms in 32 countries, listed the UK at 26th place with just two-thirds (66%) of firms employing women in senior positions.

The UK was far behind countries like the Phillipines (94%), Russia (88%) and China (81%).

Of the 600 UK companies surveyed, more than 70% said they had no specific plans to support women who wanted to progress to senior management.

A quarter of employers admitted they thought there were barriers to introducing women into senior management roles.

Alysoun Stewart, director of strategic services at Grant Thornton, said: “This is indicative of the lack of importance placed in the UK on ensuring a balanced representation at senior level. It is disappointing that the participation of women in senior management still remains at such a low level in the UK, one that is unlikely to change dramatically in the near future.”

Stewart added that career development and mentoring schemes should be supported more rigorously to help women reach the top.

Last week, a leading women’s campaign group claimed there was an urgent need for the government to introduce targets for employers to boost female representation on company boards.