Which Sector Has the Most Female Top Management?

An analysis by The Big Search and Statista highlights the United Kingdom as Europe’s leading market for female C-level representation and identifies the executive roles with the highest share of women. But is there a difference between sectors too? An analysis of 284 growth-stage and late-stage European B2C internet companies answers this question. Together, the companies employ 1,470 C-level executives across Europe, excluding managing directors. Of the firms surveyed, 37 percent have at least one woman in a C-suite position, representing 331 female executives overall.

Consumer fintech and mobility and travel are the largest employer sectors within the dataset. However, no single sector stands out dramatically in representation. Other e-commerce and marketplace companies have the highest propostion of female C-level executives at 26.1 percent, closely followed by proptech companies at 26 percent. While the property industry has long been male-dominated, tech companies like AVIV Group (through its portfolio), idealista and Holidu are notably giving women more room at the top.

The wellness and health sector ranks just behind (24.2 percent), largely driven by the rise of FemTech companies. Businesses such as Flo, which was founded specifically to solve female-centric health needs, tend to have a higher concentration of women in C-level positions than other sub-sectors.

However, two main sub-sectors lag behind, with under 20 percent female C-level representation. Entertainment is at 17.6 percent, weighed down primarily by gaming, where the gender imbalance in development teams and leadership is well-documented. Consumer EdTech fare similarly, at just 16.3 percent, despite education being a female-heavy.