PIE: The share of female managers in Poland is 43% vs. 35% on average in the EU

The share of female managers in Poland was 43% against 35% for the European Union (EU) average, which is the second highest including Sweden, in the EU after Latvia (46%), according to a report by the Polish Economic Institute (PIE). The percentage of women holding leadership positions on the boards of the largest listed companies in Poland is 24% - below the EU average of 32%.

Throughout the European Union, women are underrepresented in managerial positions, but in Poland this disproportion is relatively small. The share of female managers in our country and in Sweden is 43%. The higher figure in the EU is only in Latvia (46%). On average in the EU countries, the share of women managers is 35%, and in the countries with the lowest level (Luxembourg, Cyprus) it does not even exceed 25%, according to the PIE report.

Since 2008, the percentage of women in top positions has increased by 7 percentage points (from 36%). In other EU countries, as a rule, the trend has also been upward, but - when looking at the average - it is definitely flatter, PIE reported.

"More and more women are sitting on the boards of the largest listed companies, but in Poland the changes are not as rapid as in other EU countries. In 2004, the percentage of women on boards was very low - 9% in Poland and on average in EU countries. This value gradually increased year by year. While in the EU it rose to 32% on average in 2022, in Poland it did not exceed 25%." - we read further.

Among the industries in which women hold managerial positions in Poland - trade dominates. The second and third most common industries are public administration and industry.

The wage gap for women in Poland in 2020 was 4.5% against an EU average of 13%, PIE reported. In contrast, the level of the wage gap between women and men doing the same job is 10.4% in Poland against an EU average of 11%.

The average value of the adjusted gap in EU countries is 11%. However, significant variation is observed between countries - from 5.7% in Germany to 18% in Estonia, while in Poland it is 10.4%, it was reported.

According to our estimates, the increase in female employment over the past several years has contributed to about 2/5 of Poland's economic growth. Between 2009 and 2021, GDP growth y/y averaged 3.49%. Overall estimates indicate that if the number of employed women had remained at the 2009 level, the average growth could have been 1.49 percentage points lower. The unemployment problem affects relatively few women, but the inactivity of some women remains a challenge for the labor market. A very good sign is the growing number of women in managerial positions. Although women are underrepresented in managerial positions throughout the European Union, this disproportion is relatively small in Poland," said Aneta Kielczewska, deputy head of the behavioral economics team at PIE.

Source: PIE and ISBnewss