Philippines has highest ratio of female senior managers: survey

A recent survey by London-based Grant Thornton shows that the Philippines takes the top spot among 28 countries in terms of the percentage of women holding senior management positions.

According to the global accounting group's annual survey, 43% of the senior management positions at Philippine companies are held by women. Three other Southeast Asian nations placed in the top 10 are Thailand, at the third position; Malaysia, seventh; and Indonesia, tenth.

The survey, based on interviews conducted in the final quarter of 2023, covers 4,891 midsize companies from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, 90% of which have between 50 and 2,500 employees. It defines senior management roles as positions ranging from CEOs and chief operating officers to board members and finance chiefs.

The Philippines often sits at or near the top of the survey, now in its 20th year. It was No. 2 in 2023, No. 4 in 2022, and No. 1 in 2021 and 2020.

Tomoko Tashiro, a manager in marketing communication at Grant Thornton Japan, explained that the position is a result of the Philippines' early efforts to address gender issues, including the Magna Carta of Women Act of 2009, which guarantees women economic and social rights.

In Thailand, women held 41% of senior management positions, a 4-point improvement from the previous year as more women became chief marketing officers and sales directors. According to Grant Thornton, Thai companies have been hiring more female business leaders since 2011 when Yingluck Shinawatra became the country's first female prime minister.

As for other Asia-Pacific nations, Australia ranked eighth while South Korea ranked 27th and Japan ranked 28th, which demonstrates the male dominance in those societies.

Globally, the female share of management positions has reached 33% for four years in a row.