Women in corporate Canada: Who's at the top?
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Description: Women in corporate Canada: Who's at the top?
Women in corporate Canada: Who's at the top?
The representation of women and men in leadership positions was measured for corporations conducting business in Canada in 2016.
Less than 1/5 of all leadership roles were held by women.
| Leadership role | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| DirectorsFootnote 1 | 80.6% | 19.4% |
| OfficersFootnote 2 | 80.8% | 19.2% |
Representation of women by country of control
The highest level of women representation among directors and officer was found in corporations operating in Canada, owned by Canada and France, respectively, while the lowest were found in corporations owned by Japan
| Country of control | Directors | Officers |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 21.3% | 19.9% |
| USA | 15.5% | 18.2% |
| United Kingdom | 17.1% | 17.1% |
| France | 17.5% | 21.4% |
| Germany | 15.3% | 13.6% |
| Japan | 9.6% | 11.6% |
Representation of women by industries
The greatest share of women held leadership positions in the financial sector, while the lowest percentage held positions in the construction sector for directors and in the manufacturing sector for officers.
| Industries | Directors | Officers |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 12.8% | 15.8% |
| Distribution trade | 16.1% | 14.4% |
| Energy | 15.1% | 14.2% |
| Finance | 22.5% | 22.3% |
| Management of companies & enterprises | 20.1% | 19.5% |
| Manufacturing | 14.4% | 14.0% |
| Utilities | 21.4% | 20.7% |
Note to readers: The statistics presented cover the corporations that are publicly traded and privately held, as well as provincial and federal government business enterprises.
Sources: 2016 Corporations Returns Act.
- Date modified: