Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, where only 4.2 per cent of
CEOs are female, have still made substantial progress in taking business
and management
positions and are increasingly driving economic growth, a new ILO
report finds.
The report entitled
Women in business and management: Gaining momentum in Latin America and the Caribbean, by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Bureau for Employers’ Activities (ACT/EMP), will be launched at a
regional conference to be held here today. The one-day conference
will bring together business leaders and representatives of employers’
organizations from across the region to discuss the progress made and
obstacles to women’s advancement in the workplace,
particularly at top management levels.
With
an increasing number of skilled women professionals, Latin America and
the Caribbean is set to become a global leader in gender diversity in
business and management. The
women’s labour force participation rate in the region increased from
48.5 per cent in 2006 to 49.7 per cent in 2016 – in stark contrast with
the decline of the global rate during the same period. The report thus
provides clear evidence that more women in the
region have made their way in the world of work.
The report also shows that the number of women tertiary graduates
exceeds that of men in all countries in the region where data is
available. Today, many more women are occupying professional, middle and
senior managerial positions.
In most countries in the region, over 30 per cent of all managers are
women, and in 19 countries they represent 40 per cent or more of
managers, on a par with the most developed nations in Europe and North
America. With 59 per cent of all managers being women,
Jamaica has the highest proportion of women managers, not only in the
region, but in the world, followed by Belize, the Cayman Islands and
Colombia with 50 per cent or more.
Yet
women are still noticeably absent from the ranks of top management. The
most recent data and research in the report indicates that the region
lags behind others in the
proportion of female chief executive officers (CEOs) and board members.
Among the 1,259 listed companies in Latin America and the Caribbean,
women represent only 4.2 per cent of CEOs. What’s more, nearly half of
executive boards in the region are entirely male and on average only 8.5
per cent of board members are women.
“We need to create opportunities and the right conditions for women to succeed and to
maintain the momentum created across the region."
Deborah France-Massin, Director of ACT/EMP
“The
business case is stronger than ever. Gender diversity at all levels of
management and leadership positions provides a competitive edge.
Businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean have made substantial
progress but much more attention is required at the
executive level where we know progress has been slow to date,” says the
ILO’s Director of ACT/EMP, Deborah France-Massin. “We need to create
opportunities and the right conditions for women to succeed and to
maintain the momentum created across the region.”
The conference, organized by the ILO-ACT/EMP with the National
Confederation of Private Business Institutions (CONFIEP), is part of
wider efforts to speed up progress in gender diversity in the region.
The conference will be followed by a workshop with representatives
of employers’ organizations aimed at further promoting gender diversity
among their national members.
Traditional societal gender roles and greater family responsibilities
for women were found to be among the top barriers to women’s leadership.
One indicator here is the number of hours spent in unpaid work.
In 10 countries in Latin America, women spent on average between 1.7 and
3.5 times more hours in unpaid work than men per week – in other words
double to over triple the time that men contribute to such work,
according to the report.
Moreover, gender pay gaps persist across the region. While the gaps fall
within the average global range of between 0 and 45 per cent, the
widening of the gap at managerial level is of concern. This is a
significant barrier that prevents talented women from
striving for and thriving in top management positions.
The glass ceiling is still in place in Latin America and the Caribbean.
However, the report highlights that more women in the region are moving
into non-support managerial roles such as research and product
development, operations and general management rather
than following the global trend of being clustered into functions such
as human resources, public relations and communications.
The region is thus showing clear signs of progress and raises hopes that the glass ceiling can soon be overcome.
“With momentum building economically, politically and socially, now is
the time to ensure that we work to break down the barriers and utilize
the many strengths of the entire talent pool. Conferences such as this
one provide an important opportunity to reflect
on progress and provide a roadmap for the future,” concludes José
Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional
Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.