“Even though female CEOs have increased… Of all the CEOs of listed companies, only 3.6% are women.”

Teheran-ro building seen from Samseong-dong, Seoul [연합뉴스]

It was found that the proportion of women among the CEOs of listed companies in Korea is increasing year by year. However, in terms of numbers, it is still in the 3% range, and the proportion of female CEOs is still small compared to major global companies.

On the 9th, the Federation of Korean Entrepreneurs (Former Convulsions) analyzed and announced the trend of changes in the number of female CEOs and employees of domestic listed companies in celebration of the’World Women’s Day (March 8)’ designated by the United Nations (UN). The CEO has also counted the positions of the CEO, such as chairman, vice-chairman, president, and bank chief.

As a result of analyzing the 2015-2019 business reports of listed companies on KOSPI and KOSDAQ, the proportion of female CEOs increased steadily for five years from 2.8% in 2015 to 3.6% in 2019. In 2015, out of the 2716 CEOs of listed companies, only 75 were women. In 2019, the number of female CEOs increased from this to 115 out of 3187 CEOs.

The proportion of female executives by company size. Graphic = Kim Eun-kyo [email protected]

However, compared to major global companies, the proportion of female CEOs in domestic companies is still small. According to a non-governmental organization (NGO) catalog in the United States, the proportion of female CEOs in S&P500 companies was 6.0% as of January.

The proportion of female executives and female employees in domestic companies has also steadily increased. In 2015, the total number of executives of listed companies in Korea was 24,628, of which 727, or 3.0%, were found to be women. In 2019, out of 29,279 executives, 1314 were women, and the proportion increased to 4.5%, but the absolute figure is still low.

The proportion of female executives by industry. Graphic = Kim Eun-kyo [email protected]

Looking at the size of the company, the proportion of female executives was found to be the largest in the order of SMEs (5.5% as of 2019), midsize companies (4.4%), and large companies (3.8%). By industry, the proportion of female executives was highest in the order of education service (16.4% as of 2019), arts, sports, leisure service (9.9%), and business facility management, business support, and rental service (7.8%). In contrast, the proportion of female executives was small in the construction industry (1.8%), transportation and warehouse (3.2%), and finance and insurance (3.7%).

Kim Bong-man, head of the FKI’s International Cooperation Office, said, “Compared to major global corporations, women are still not in many high-ranking positions. We need to work harder to expand.”

Reporter Kim Kyung-mi [email protected]