Even if they tend to be reduced, inequalities between women and men persist in companies. This is one of the findings of Equileap’s 2024 ranking [société qui fournit des données, notamment sur l’égalité de genre, sur les entreprises mondiales cotées en Bourse dont la capitalisation dépasse 2 milliards de dollars (environ 1,85 milliard d’euros)]. This report indicates that France (57%), Spain (56%) and the United Kingdom (54%) are, in 2023, the three developed countries best performing in terms of gender equality and underlines, by elsewhere, only 7% of CEOs are women.
On the financial side, the Morningstar agency notes that 46 global funds are now playing the gender diversity card. The outstanding amount has, in three years, increased from 2.20 billion to 4.1 billion dollars. “Numerous studies published in recent years indicate that the more women there are in the management bodies of a company, the better the financial performance. And it is in these companies that innovations are more evident”recalls François Millet, head of development for climate and thematic funds at Amundi ETF and index funds.
In addition to the traditional financial criteria, the managers of these funds carry out another sorting of values on the basis of a battery of extra-financial parameters called “ESG” (environmental, social and governance). “As part of this theme, the analyst examines the company’s results using the letters “S” and “G” in the ESG acronym. This is where we find data concerning the presence of women, their weight and their level in the company”specifies Audrey Kaplan, manager of the Robeco SAM “Global Gender Equality Equities” fund.
Balance between personal and professional life
Although this information tends to expand over time, it still remains incomplete. Not all companies spontaneously publish or communicate these figures. “Access to this data is sometimes imperfect. It’s progressing slowly. In addition, there are regulatory disparities between countries which influence the information available”points out Soliane Varlet, manager of Mirova’s “Women Leaders Equity” equity portfolio.
Several elements allow us to examine a society with this prism. The share of women in the workforce and the salary gap with men are not the only parameters taken into account. The managers examine the place of the latter at the head of the company (CEO, DG), in the governing bodies (executive committee, management, etc.) and also those who, at lower hierarchical levels, also exercise functions with responsibilities. “We look closely at companies with leadership programs and where women are present”specifies Soliane Varlet.
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