Gender Underrepresented: 24% of Irish Leaders Are Women

The Irish Gender Pay Gap

Women in Ireland remain gender underrepresented at leadership level and are less likely to be promoted to leadership roles than men. 

New global data released by LinkedIn included in the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report shows that women hold less than one third of leadership positions globally. In Ireland, LinkedIn’s data reveals that women are very underrepresented at managerial and senior levels.

Gender Underrepresented: 24% of Irish Leaders Are Women

At entry level, 46% of roles in Ireland are held by women. Climbing up the seniority ladder, the share of Irish women holding manager roles drops slightly to 42%. This drops steeply at leadership level, with only 24% of C-suite roles in Ireland held by women.

A gender bias

New LinkedIn data also highlights gender bias in internal promotion. Comparing the average in Ireland for men and women in 2021, men were 15% more likely to receive internal promotions to leadership roles than women.   

While this is a negative finding, it stands in stark contrast to countries like the Czech Republic (81%) or the Netherlands (69%), where men have much higher likelihoods for being internally promoted to leadership roles.

Of the 34 countries reviewed, Ireland records the third lowest gap in probability for men to be internally promoted to senior positions in an organisation.

However, the new data from LinkedIn as part of the 2022 WEF Gender Gap Report shows there remains a gender leadership gap, and that targeted action is needed from government and businesses to make workplaces equal.

In addition to contributing to the Global Gender Gap Report, LinkedIn has published insights on gender equity and barriers and biases affecting women at work.

By industry

A range of industries in Ireland showed a significant divergence between female participation and women in leadership roles. The biggest gaps were recorded in the following five sectors in Ireland:

1. Retail 19% (overall female representation 51% vs leadership female representation 32%)
2. Wellness & fitness 17% (overall female representation 63% vs leadership female representation 46%)
3. Healthcare 15% (overall female representation 55% vs leadership female representation 40%)
4. Real estate 15% (overall female representation 39% vs leadership female representation 24%)
5. Consumer goods 15% (overall female representation 47% vs leadership female representation 32%)

Targeted action needed to address the global gender imbalance

Sue Duke, Head of Global Public Policy at LinkedIn, said: “The pandemic hit working women harder than men, as traditional gender roles took hold and female-dominated sectors bore the brunt of lockdowns. The serious lack of women in leadership positions continues to be a real problem, yet data shows that male colleagues are far more likely to be promoted into leadership roles”.

She continued: “While the data is deeply concerning, it points to where progress can be made. It’s clear that taking a hard look at hiring and promotion practices is a critical factor, as is making flexible working the norm for everyone.”

The Global Gender Gap Report and LinkedIn’s data show that targeted action is needed to make workplaces and societies more equal. The data highlights the need to focus on inclusive and fair hiring practices, as well as internal mobility programmes, and flexible working in order to make progress.

Practical steps include removing bias from job descriptions, having representative candidate slates and including women on interview panels.

This also includes creating targeted mentoring and training programmes for women working at the pre-manager level, as well as increased awareness and training about unconscious bias for hiring managers and interviewers at this level.

Flexible working needs be normalised to attract a diverse talent pool, and offered to all workers, not just women, so that we can have a future that is more equitable.