Philippines slips on global ranking on women in business

March 4, 2019

  The Philippines' global ranking on women in business went down to fifth place in the 2019 Women in Business report by Grant Thornton International Ltd from first place in 2018.

  Even though the country ranked first in Asia, it suffered a 10 percentage point decline in the percentage of Filipino women holding senior leadership positions from 47 percent last year to 37.46 percent  

  The report surveyed 4,900 senior executives in 35 countries. Topping the list for this year's poll were New Zealand with the highest percentage of women in senior management at 43.90 percent, followed by Australia with 41.94 percent and Nigeria garnering 28.47 percent. 

  Despite the slip in ranking, P&A Grant Thornton chair and chief executive officer Marivic Espano said Filipinas still hold "significant roles" in different organizations. 

  Among the top three roles or positions in business accommodated by Filipino women are human resources director at 75 percent, chief finance officer at 66 percent, and chief operating officer at 53 percent. 

  "If we want to continue seeing female representation in senior positions, more deliberate action needs to be taken and leaders will play a crucial role," she explained in a statement. 

  The report also mentioned the efforts exerted by businesses in the country to improve or preserve gender balance in senior positions.

  Around 70 percent of businesses make sure there is equal access to development work opportunities. Providing mentoring and coaching is also implemented by some at 66 percent, and 56 percent of businesses allow flexible working hours. 

  The report emphasized there is still a need for women leaders to take in action amid efforts done by companies.

  The poll found 55 percent of Filipina executives lack access to developmental work opportunities. Fifty one percent experienced lack in finding time alongside core job responsibilities, and 47 percent cited caring responsibilities outside work and access to networking opportunities as hindrance from equipping skills and attributes to be successful in their roles. 

  In a global sense, there was a 12 percentage rise in the percentage of businesses with at least one woman in the senior management position reaching to 87 percent this year.

  The report said 29 percent of senior managerial role globally are occupied by women. 

  “Policies that address equal opportunity in careers, bias in recruitment and flexible working conditions cannot just be a nice thing to have. To achieve meaningful progress, they must be adhered to, enforced and regularly revisited to assess their effectiveness and, when that is combined with real commitment from senior leadership, you begin creating a truly inclusive culture,” Espano said.    

  “Furthermore, women and men are equally capable of good leadership; the critical point is that diverse leadership teams tend to outperform their socially homogenous rivals,” she added.

   Grant Thornton International global leader Francesca Lagerberg said the findings are encouraging and indicates that more businesses take gender equality seriously. 

  “External factors, such as increasing organizational transparency, gender pay gap reporting and highly visible public dialogue like the #MeToo movement appear to be making businesses wake up to the change that is needed,” Lagerberg stated.  

  “Hopefully, the sharp increase in the representation of women in senior leadership we’re seeing globally this year is not purely a knee-jerk reaction to the current social climate and that we’ll see similar progress in the coming years,” she added.  Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS