IL-KEARNEY
2.3.2021 15:02:15 CET | Business Wire | Press release
The latest ‘Gender Equality Report’ from Kearney has revealed progress in the representation of women in both public and private sectors, but the figures still don’t show parity.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, the analysis provides insight into the progress of gender diversity in private and public sectors across nine countries – the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, India, France, Spain, Germany, South Africa and Singapore.
The annual report revealed that France was number one for representation in the private sector with women comprising nearly 44% (43.8%) of board members on average, however only 2% of these women held top board positions. The UK (36%) and Australia (34%) also scored highly for representation of women on boards. The average for board level representation of women is 29.9% - not even one in three.
% Female board level representation by country |
|
France |
43.8% |
UK |
36.0% |
Australia |
34.0% |
Germany |
32.5% |
Spain |
29.8% |
US |
29.8% |
South Africa |
28.5% |
Singapore |
17.3% |
India |
17.0% |
The public sector – meaning members of Parliament or equivalent – is faring slightly better. The average across the countries surveyed is 33.2% - a marginal difference compared to the private sector – but two thirds (6 out of 9) countries showed more promising gender parity in their governments compared to on their boards. South Africa led the way in the public sector with 44% of its MPs being women – a huge step up from its 28.5% parity at board level – though France is the most gender-diverse nation when taking an average across both its parliament and the boards of its largest companies. The average across both sectors is 32% female representation, whereas France is a leader with 40.4% parity overall.
% Female parliament representation by country |
|
South Africa |
44.0% |
Spain |
42.0% |
Australia |
38.0% |
France |
37.0% |
UK |
34.0% |
Germany |
33.0% |
Singapore |
30.0% |
US |
27.0% |
India |
14.0% |
This year’s annual report demonstrates modest progress compared with 2020. Representation of women in the private sector has increased marginally in the United States (1.2%), United Kingdom (3%) and Australia (0.6%), as well as in the parliaments in Australia (1%) and the United States (3.5%), which had a record year for women elected. India remains the least gender diverse country studied with representation of women under 20% across both public (14%) and private sectors (17%).
Beth Sehgal, global director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Kearney, comments:
“It’s positive to see businesses and governments move towards equal representation as women hold an increasing number of high-ranking positions. However, progress has been slow, and the gender leadership gap endures. France is leading the way for private sector representation and South Africa ranks number one for public sector diversity, and the progress of these two countries should provide benchmarks as we work towards achieving gender parity worldwide.
“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives will need to be prioritized, particularly in countries lagging behind. Diversity has regularly been linked to high-performance with a variety of perspectives encouraging fresh ideas and preventing the dreaded group think. As the economy rebuilds from the aftermath of coronavirus, it will be crucial women are fairly represented in both public and private sector roles to help assist in its recovery and to avoid a regression on gender equality or “she-cession”.”
About Kearney
As a global consulting partnership in more than 40 countries, our people make us who we are. We’re individuals who take as much joy from those we work with as the work itself. Driven to be the difference between a big idea and making it happen, we help our clients break through. Learn more at Kearney.com.
About the research
Kearney‘s Gender Equality Report 2021 was based on research using publicly available data across nine countries – UK, US, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, India and Singapore – regarding the representation of women at board level and in their respective parliaments. Board information was gathered using the support of Factset.
Read the report: https://www.kearney.com/web/international-womens-day/article/?/a/the-equality-dilemma
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210302005622/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
REV Ocean Appoints Paul Baribault as CEO Ahead of 2027 Global Operations29.10.2026 15:45:00 CET | Press release
Global conservation and philanthropic leader to spearhead REV Ocean's next chapter, connecting world-class science with international collaboration and ocean protection REV Ocean has appointed Paul Baribault as Chief Executive Officer as the organization moves towards the international debut of its 195-metre research vessel in Rio de Janeiro in April 2027, alongside the UN Ocean Decade Conference. One of the world's largest privately owned research and exploration vessels, REV represents a major philanthropic investment in ocean science. With nine laboratories, advanced deep-sea exploration vehicles and dedicated collaboration facilities, it is designed to give scientists access to world-class research infrastructure and connect their discoveries with the people and institutions able to drive ocean protection. Baribault joins as REV Ocean moves from a decade of engineering and construction into international operations. His mandate will be to build the international partnerships, fundi
Holder Partners Launches Strategic Communications Practice and Appoints Ali Ponte as Director and Practice Lead29.10.2026 15:15:00 CET | Press release
The new practice connects strategic communications and stakeholder engagement with Holder Partners’ capabilities in investigations, disputes, cybersecurity, due diligence and risk advisory. Holder Partners, a multidisciplinary consulting and advisory firm, today announced the launch of its Strategic Communications practice and the appointment of Ali Ponte as Director and Practice Lead. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261027701219/en/ Ali Ponte, Director and Practice Lead of Holder Partners’ Strategic Communications practice. The practice advises leading companies and institutions, their boards, senior executives and counsel on communications, reputation and stakeholder considerations in complex matters and periods of significant change or opportunity. Each engagement is tailored to the client’s objectives and, where relevant, draws on Holder Partners’ broader advisory capabilities. Its strategic counsel, infor
Accertify Formalizes Partner Ecosystem as Fraud, Payments, and Chargebacks Converge Into a Single Risk Surface29.10.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
New partner program brings payment providers, orchestrators, commerce platforms, and consultancies together around the industry's largest fraud data community Accertify, a leading fraud decisioning provider whose Predictive Yes Platform helps merchants say yes to more good customers, more revenue, and more growth, today announced the launch of the Accertify Partner Program, a formalized partnership ecosystem connecting payment providers, orchestrators, commerce platforms, and consultancies to Accertify’s network-powered fraud intelligence. Partners can join through two tracks. The Referral track lets partners make a single introduction while Accertify handles the sale, implementation, and support. The Reseller track lets partners sell Accertify on their own contract and own the client relationship and margin. Partners that integrate with Accertify follow a defined certification path, so clients get a tested, supported connection from day one. Every client a partner brings joins a conso
Draslovka to Acquire ex-Natron Energy Battery IP, Completing a Vertically Integrated Western Sodium-Ion Value Chain29.10.2026 14:30:00 CET | Press release
Acquisition gives Draslovka control of former Natron Energy IP portfolio spanning sodium-ion materials, cells and complete battery systems. Deal combines acquired IP with Draslovka’s existing chemistry and European cathode-material capabilities, bringing key parts of the sodium-ion value chain together within one Western-aligned group and its partners. The IP acquisition strengthens Draslovka’s position across the emerging Western sodium-ion battery value chain. Technology targets applications where safety, high power, long cycle life and performance across a wide temperature range are critical, including data centers, grid storage, defense, industrial fleets, telecoms, rail and aviation. The acquired IP will substantively boost Draslovka’s technology offering, a portfolio of transformative and protected innovations for specific industries. Draslovka’s US-based subsidiary, COVORO MINING SOLUTIONS LLC (Covoro), the operator of one of the largest solid sodium cyanide plants in the world,
Veracode Finds First Meaningful Gain in AI Code Security Since 2025 as Average Pass Rate Hits 62%29.10.2026 14:27:00 CET | Press release
October 2026 Study: Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 and OpenAI’s GPT-6-Sol Jointly Lead at a Record 73%, Breaking the Previous High of 68% Veracode, the global leader in application risk management, today announced a jump from 56 percent to 62 percent in overall AI-generated code security, alongside a drop in vulnerabilities from 44 percent to 38 percent — the most significant improvement since the GenAI Code Security Report series began in July 2025. Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 and OpenAI's GPT-6-Sol co-lead the rankings at 73 percent, surpassing the previous high of 68 percent set by GPT-5.5 in July 2026. “We’ve been analysing code generated by multiple LLMs for more than a year. Until now, we have not seen a marked improvement in AI code security, despite consistently near-perfect functionality,” said Chris Wysopal, Co-founder & Chief Security Evangelist at Veracode. “This is the first time since running our study that we’ve been able to report a meaningful move on the security dial. Te
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom