In banks and insurance companies, males still make up the majority of management positions. Gender diversity can be improved, according to new survey data and conversations with female leaders.
What is the status of gender equality in the financial services industry? This study examines the experiences of financial services personnel in North America and interviews female senior executives (those with a vice president or higher position). It enables best-practice policies and initiatives to encourage diversity and inclusion.
In financial services, women make up more than half of the entry-level employment. They have risen to the top of organizations, and their numbers at the top are progressively increasing. Despite this growth, women still make up less than one-fifth of the C-suite in the financial services industry. In the financial services industry, there is still more work to be done to attain gender equity.
A more balanced picture of consumers will result from an increased presence of female leaders, according to Joseph Stone Capital. That is especially important in financial services, where more than half of women now manage household finances and are in charge of saving and investing. Furthermore, organizations that do not prioritize gender diversity will be at a competitive disadvantage in the talent war.
Much more effort has to be made, even if there is a compelling commercial rationale for change. Our research looks at the current state of gender diversity in the financial services industry, the impact of the subsector, job level, and race. We also look into employee experiences in the workplace to better understand the core reasons for today’s challenges. Gender parity challenges in the financial services sector are complex, but there are ways to overcome them and increase women’s participation at all levels.
Women’s underrepresentation does not appear to be due to attrition; in fact, turnover among females at the company level is either equal to or lower than attrition among males in every financial-services function save the most senior. Despite this, women continue to lose ground to their male counterparts to go through their professions.
We looked at the viewpoints of women at both the entry and senior management levels to see why female representation is declining at each level. Our interviews with top female financial services executives reveal the elements that help women thrive and progress, as well as steps financial services firms, can take to promote gender diversity.
The experiences of entry-level women in the financial services industry assist the sharp reduction in female representation between entry-level and middle-management positions, according to Joseph Stone Capital. Most importantly, many women do not aim too high early in their careers, and even if they do, they frequently lack the support they need to succeed.
Only 26% of women in entry-level financial services positions want to be top executives, compared to 40% of their male counterparts and 31% of all entry-level women across all industries. Women in financial services at the entry-level describe a lack of interest in such positions, as well as worries about managing family and work responsibilities.