PH has highest proportion of female bosses in Asia – study

MANILA – The Philippines has the highest proportion of women managers among Asian countries, according to a new study by the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities.

The report, titled “Women in Business and Management: Gaining Momentum,” showed that in the Philippines, 47.6 percent of all managers are women.

The study said that the Philippines ranked fourth in the world among countries with the highest percentage of female bosses.

Topping the global rankings as the country with the highest proportion of women managers is Jamaica at 59.3 percent.

Colombia holds the second place with 53.1 percent while Saint Lucia came third at 52.3 percent.

The US ranked 15th in the list with 42.7 percent women managers while the United Kingdom ranked 41st at 34.2 percent.

The new study, which ranked 108 countries, showed a positive link between female leadership and business performance.

The study also found that while women remain under-represented in top management, the number of women in senior and middle management positions has increased over the last 20 years.

“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 Deborah France-Massin, director of the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities.

“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.

The study also revealed that only 5 percent or less of the CEOs of the world’s largest corporations are women, which indicates that the larger the company, the less likely the boss will be a woman.

“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.

“However, ‘glass walls’ still exist with the concentration of women in certain types of management functions like HR, communications and administration,” she added.

The report also provided recommendations to close the remaining gender gap, such as seeking flexible solutions to balance work and family time; providing maternity protection coverage and childcare support; changing mindsets; and implementing gender-sensitive human resources policies and measures.

The report also said women should be given equally challenging tasks as men from the very beginning of their career.

“Unless action is taken, it could take 100 to 200 years to achieve parity at the top. It is time to smash the glass ceiling for good to avoid controversial mandatory quotas that are not always necessary or effective. Having women in top positions is simply good for business,” said France-Massin. –ABS-CBNnews.com