The gender gap is perpetuated in the Spanish company. The presence of women in management positions has stagnated at 16%, according to the annual report prepared by the Eada business school together with the Icsa company based on a statistical sample of 80,000 people.
According to the report, the female quota reached its ceiling of 18.8% in 2021 after the implementation of teleworking as a result of the pandemic. It fell to 16.8% in 2022 and fell slightly again to 16.6% this year. One of the reasons for this drop, explained Professor Aline Masuda, has been the decline in remote work after the end of confinement but also the lack of application of equality plans and the unfavorable economic situation. "In times of crisis, the culture becomes more conservative and returns to the old formulas where testosterone appears to give more security," she opined.
Regarding the salary gap, the report reflects a slight decrease of one percentage point per year since 2017. Thus, the salary difference between male and female managers is 12%, compared to 13% in 2022, and the 14% of 2021. "The results show that female managers earn 81,913 euros a year compared to 91,825 euros for men. This is a difference of almost 10,000 euros a year. These results are far from achieving equality and show that the changes are too slow, that the business culture must be redesigned and enforce the legal mandate of equality", he pointed out.
In this sense, Masuda has said that "despite the fact that many men already want to work less and prioritize time with their family, they feel pressured to look for jobs that give them more prestige and economic remuneration. In contrast, women do not perceive this same pressure, but they do experience the additional burden of responsibility for childcare.”
The study dissects the gender gap by managerial positions and reveals that in general management responsibilities women are present in only 9% of cases while in human resources positions, they do so in 33%. "The role of caregivers and having an impact on people is manifesting itself again. In addition, this second position is more attractive because it has less responsibility and greater conciliation," says the professor. This gender role is also reflected in the position of production director (only 5% are women) typically held by technical positions or that of commercial director (7%).
The study also addresses the gender gap in low and middle positions. Regarding the share of presence, women hold 46% of basic positions while in middle management the percentage drops to 36%. The salary difference is also notorious: it stands at 12%, the same as in the case of managers.
