Spanish listed companies are very far from the parity objective that the European Commission agreed on Tuesday to comply with an initiative presented last March that foresees that 40% of the members of the boards of directors of these companies are women. 33% in the case of the entire management team of these companies.
The latest data from the INE, corresponding to 2021, indicate that in these companies there are barely 29.26% female directors and 19.66% female managers. Percentages that in the case of Ibex 35 companies amount to 34.20% and 22.00%, respectively, but which fall as market capitalization decreases. In the case of listed companies with less than 500 million euros, the ratio is 25.19% and 16.59%, respectively.
Despite these percentages, there is reason for optimism, since the rapid growth of female representation in these positions stands out. In fact, in a decade, between 2007 and 2017, the percentage of women on the boards of directors of Ibex 35 companies grew from 6% to 22%, in line with compliance with the Good Governance Code of the National Commission of the Stock Market, which recommends a 33% presence of female directors.
Even so, the presence of women in the governing bodies of Spanish listed companies is notably lower than in countries such as France, which has 38% female directors, Sweden (36%) or Italy (33%).
By sectors, Technology, Media and Telecommunications and Energy and Resources are positioned with the highest percentage of women on their boards, with 29.3%.