Proportion of females managers 'high' in UK compared to rest of Europe but overall gender equality ranks low

THE UK has a high proportion of female managers compared to other European countries, but ranks low for gender equality generally, according to a new study.

Jobs site Glassdoor said that despite progress on women finding work, a gender gap in employment persists in the UK and across Europe.

Research in 18 countries found the UK was third for the proportion of female managers but 11th for equality generally.

Dr Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor, said: “In the UK there are fewer women than men in the workplace.

“However, this gap is considerably narrower for those with a university education. By contrast, Sweden, Norway and Finland all have an almost equal balance of men and women in the labour market and can be a lesson for the UK.

“Of some concern is the high cost of motherhood in the UK, whereby the gender pay gap widens amongst working women with children.

“British working mothers are significantly worse off than those without family responsibilities, and this pressure will not help the UK address its workplace diversity issues.”

In Sweden, Norway, the UK and Portugal, more than a third of managers are women, compared with under 30% in Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Denmark, and 26% in the Netherlands.

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