Almost one in five businesses has no women in senior management - but most hope new hybrid work models will open up greater opportunities, a new survey has shown.
A study of mid-size businesses for the Grant Thornton International Business Report found that 19% of firms have no women at all in senior management, while 21% have just one woman in those positions.
It said Ireland appears to fare worse when compared with our neighbours in the UK, where only 2% of businesses have no women in senior management. Across the EU, that figure is 14%.
The survey also found that in Ireland, 30% of senior management roles are held by women, down from the 33% reported in 2021. However, it noted 71% of businesses here believe new hybrid work models will broaden opportunities for women.
Sinéad Donovan, partner in financial accounting and advisory services at Grant Thornton, said: "The challenges we have faced with Covid in the business world have been complex - undoubtedly it has forced employers to change long-held perceptions around flexible working and the ability to work effectively in different ways. This is to be welcomed.
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"However, it has been shown that Covid has had a larger impact on women than men when it came to balancing the pressures of domestic and professional life. Hence, I am not surprised, but I am dismayed, to see the fall-off in females in senior positions over the past couple of years."
She said the underlying reason for the fall should be examined and that 'hybrid working is not the only answer'. Ms Donovan continued: 'Now more than ever, we need to ensure that gender parity is driven hard in business as I fear we are at a juncture that could pivot in a negative spiral or in a positive message - how this is balanced is up to us as leaders, male and female.'
The Women in Business report revealed around two-fifths (42%) of women in senior management positions in Ireland are in human resources director roles, some 35% are in chief financial officer (CFO) jobs, and some 23% are in CEO or managing director roles.
Meanwhile, with today being International Women's Day, the Law Society said it was working to 'break the bias' and introduce more diversity into the solicitors' profession.
Michelle Ní Longáin, society president, said: "The growing diversity among our trainees is reflective of the diversity present in modern Irish society.
"Solicitors work in communities in every corner of Ireland, providing trusted advice on all areas of life and business. A more diverse profession is important to help increase access to justice for all."
Women are currently in the majority among both trainee and qualified solicitors in Ireland.
Tarisai May Chidawanyika - who moved to Dublin from Zimbabwe 14 years ago, qualified as a solicitor in 2020, and now works at Matheson - said: "How much more real would access to justice in Irish society be when the person who is about to pave the trajectory of your life understands your background, your personal circumstances and what has led you to be in the situation you now face?"
She added: "Let's encourage and educate students from disadvantaged backgrounds, from primary school all the way through to third level, and show them that the legal profession is achievable for them too."
Images: Getty
