Ratio of Midmarket Female Executives at 21.5 Pct in Japan: Survey

Tokyo, March 7 (Jiji Press)–The percentage of senior management roles held by women at medium-sized companies in Japan stood at 21.5 pct, well below the global average of 32.9 pct, according to a survey on gender equality released by Grant Thornton, an international accounting firm group, on Friday. Although Japan saw the ratio rise 3.1 percentage points from the previous year’s survey, it still ranked 34th among 35 countries surveyed. By country, South Africa topped the list at 47.3 pct. China ranked 26th with 32.7 pct, while the United States was 29th with 31.1 pct. South Korea had the lowest rate at 21.1 pct. Among companies active in gender equality around the world, the proportion of those that reported sales growth of more than 5 pct from the previous year stood at 70 pct, compared with 40 pct among companies considering scaling back their efforts. Grant Thornton said companies that are focused on gender equality tend to perform better in their businesses. It urged Japanese companies to make their efforts “visible,” such as by disclosing the ratio of female managers. The latest survey was conducted between July and October last year. In Japan, responses were collected from 140 companies with 100-999 employees. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]