Only 1 manager out of 3 in the European Union is a woman

Only 1 manager out of 3 in the EU is a woman ( even less in senior management positions), according to the figures released by Erostat.

Nearly 9.4 million persons hold a managerial position in the European Union (EU): 6.0 million men (64% of all managers) and 3.4 million women (36%).

In addition, women account for a little over one quarter of board members of publicly listed companies in the EU (27%), and for less than one fifth of senior executives (17%) in 2018. In other words, although representing approximately half of all employed persons in the EU, women continue to be under-represented amongst managers.

This information was published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, last Friday, 8 March. This News Release only shows a small part of the large amount of gender based data available at Eurostat.

Managers are mostly women only in Latvia

The largest share of women among managerial positions is recorded in Latvia (56%), the only Member State where women are a majority (56%) in this occupation. It is followed by Bulgaria and Estonia (both 49%), Polandand Slovenia (both 47%), Hungary (43%), Lithuania and Sweden (both 42%), Ireland (41%), and Slovakia (40%).

At the opposite end of the scale, women account for less than a third of managers in Luxembourg (15%), followed by Cyprus (23%), Czechia, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands (all 29%), Germany (30%), as well as Greece and Austria (both 32%).

At EU level, about a third (36%) of managers are women. This share remained stable since 2012.

Highest share of female board members in France

The largest share of female board members in the largest publicly listed companies is recorded in France (44%), followed by Italy and Sweden (both 36%), Finland (35%), and Germany (34%).

At the opposite end of the scale, women account for less than a fifth of board members in Estonia (8%), Greece (9%), Malta (10%), Cyprus, Lithuania and Romania (all 11%), Luxembourg (13%), Czechia (14%), Bulgaria and Hungary (15%), Croatia (17%), as well as in Ireland (19%).

At EU level, just over a quarter (27%) of board members are women. Over the last five years, this share has increased by 9 percentage points (18% in 2013).

Highest share of female senior executives in Lithuania

Among EU Member States, women account for over a quarter of senior executives in the largest publicly listed companies in Lithuania (28%), followed by Bulgaria and Latvia (both 27%), as well as in Romania (25%).

At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest share of female senior executives is recorded in Austria (5%), Czechia (6%), Italy (9%), Portugal (10%), Denmark (11%), Luxembourg, Hungary and Poland (all 13%), Belgium, Germany and Spain (all 14%), and in Cyprus (15%).

At EU level, less than a fifth (17%) of senior executives are women; up by 5 percentage points compared with five years ago (12% in 2013).