For the 2020 edition of the Women In Business report by Grant Thornton International, more than 4,800 leaders of medium-sized companies participated, of which 75 are Argentine.
The proportion of women in senior management positions still does not reach a quarter of the total: only 24% of management positions are held by women, 9 points below the regional average. However, there seems to be a sign of improvement, as the figure has increased 4 percentage points since the last edition. For Latin America, the change was even more noticeable, going from 25% in 2019 to 33% in 2020.
A surprising fact, given the improvement in results compared to the last report, is the enormous increase in the percentage of companies that do not carry out any type of action to improve the gender balance. This went from 36% to 61%. Among the measures that are carried out, although with very low percentages, the most popular are creating an inclusive culture, providing mentoring and coaching, and equitable access to job development opportunities.
More than two thirds of Argentine medium-sized companies (69%) do not measure any type of variable related to gender. 11% measure the percentage of women in the company and 12% the percentage of new female hires.
Leaders were asked their level of agreement with the following statements in relation to the work environment in their companies:
The vast majority agreed with these, which indicates that there is a good working environment in them. Leaders were asked to think of the oldest leader in the company, and asked if they had ever done anything to promote a sense of inclusion among women. 16% asked the female talent what it is like to work in the company and how they can improve. Another 16% personally encouraged their colleagues to talk about ideas and problems. Almost half (48%) did not take any action.