Lisbon, Mar. 6, 2026 (Lusa) - Only 30% of management positions in Portuguese companies are held by women, and the percentage is even lower, at 17%, in senior management roles, according to a study by Informa D&B, which compiles company data.
According to a summary of the study released today, 42% of workers in the business sector, but only 30% of management positions are held by women, and only 27% are led by women.
“The greatest gender imbalance is found in the largest companies,” says Informa D&B.
In the largest companies, where 48% of professionals are women, they account for 12% of leadership positions and 20% of management positions.
The Informa D&B study, entitled “Female Presence in Companies in Portugal,” covered companies active on 31 December 2024 that had at least one manager or executive and commercial activity in 2023.
The analysis was based on financial information published on the Ministry of Justice (IES) portal by public and private sector companies with commercial activity. For banks and insurance companies, the analysis was conducted separately, based on data from reports and accounts for the most recent available year.
Listed companies and those in the State Business Sector have higher levels of gender parity.
“Progress towards parity in companies has been very slow and has been accelerated mainly by legal initiatives, such as the one that has been in place since 2018, establishing a system of balanced representation between women and men in the management and supervisory bodies of listed companies and public sector entities,” reads the summary of the study.
Informa D&B notes that, as a result of these measures, “82% of listed companies and 84% of companies in the State Business Sector have mixed management teams, respectively, a percentage that is only 55% in the business sector as a whole.”
Parity, the analysis notes, varies across sectors and management positions within companies.
“In no sector of activity do women reach 50% in management or leadership positions. The sector closest to parity is general services, where there is also a high female presence in employment, with more than two-thirds (69%) of workers being female, and where the percentage of women in management or leadership positions reaches 43%,” the study states.
In some subsectors of general services, particularly activities related to health, wellness, fashion, and education, “the female presence is even closer to parity, and employment is also mostly female,” it says.
In this study, management positions are defined as those held in corporate management, administration, and management bodies. Senior management positions are considered to be first-line director roles.
Leadership positions correspond to the functions of the top manager, such as the chairman of the board of directors and the manager.
PCT/ADB // ADB.
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