Complaints of boardroom gender discrimination may be justified as new research from Creditsafe has revealed that a third (32%) of company boards of limited companies are headed up entirely by men.
According to the results, one in every 11 male UK adults holds at least one company directorship of a limited company registered at Companies House. This compares to just one in every 33 women in the adult population. Limited companies with female only directorships represent just 10% of UK firms.
The analysis by Creditsafe appears to support complaints that gender inequality is still prominent in the business world – three quarters (76%) of the directors of UK companies are revealed to be male.
The research demonstrates that companies headed up by women often have more efficient financial processes that those headed up solely by men. Organisations with women only directors are on average 51%** more efficient at collecting monies owed compared to companies with male only boards. Companies that have only female directors pay their invoices on average 49% quicker than those with just men on the board.
Rachael Marking, marketing manager, Creditsafe, commented: “It is disappointing that boardrooms remain so male dominated. Over 90 years after women were afforded the right to vote huge inequality remains, now is the time to fight for business suffrage. We need to look at the barriers that are preventing women reaching the upper echelons of limited companies and break them down.”