PHL has second-highest share of women in senior management

THE PHILIPPINES has the second-highest share of women in senior management behind only South Africa, according to P&A Grant Thornton.

According to the firm’s Women in Business 2026 report, 44.5% of senior roles in the Philippines are held by women, up from 43% in 2025.

South Africa had the top share at 47.3%. Other countries in the study included  Thailand (44.1%), Colombia (43.4%), Malaysia (41.9%), Japan (21.5%), and South Korea (21.1%).

The number of Filipino women in senior management exceeded the global average of 32.9% and 31.8% across the Asia-Pacific.

Only 1.1% of businesses in the Philippines have all-male leadership teams, P&A Grant Thornton said.

“In today’s competitive talent environment, organizations that visibly embed gender equality into their strategy are better positioned to attract and retain high-performing leaders,” Romualdo V. Murcia III, chairman and managing partner of P&A Grant Thornton, said in a statement.

Colombia, Vietnam, India and South Africa reported no businesses with all-male leadership teams, it added.

The report also noted that 98.9% of Filipino businesses have diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, higher than the global average of 92.7%.

About 80.7% of the Philippine businesses said they reviewed their DEI policies in 2025, with 33.3% planning to introduce new ones.

Job candidates are more likely to prefer a company with strong DEI policies, P&A Grant Thornton said.

About 97.7% of business leaders said they consider a company’s gender equality initiatives when applying for a new role, while 71.6% see it as a priority.

The report also noted that 40.9% of businesses said potential hires ask about gender balance.

“We’re seeing candidates focus more on culture aside from numbers,” Abe Pelayo, people and culture group director of P&A Grant Thornton, said.

“They want to know if the workplace is fair, if people are treated consistently, and if opportunities are genuinely open to everyone.”

It added that female senior hires in the last six months came from companies with fewer than 50 employees.

“This suggests that women leaders are actively seeking platforms where growth pathways are clearer, leadership is visible, and inclusion is measurable,” P&A Thornton said.

More Philippine businesses said they have embedded gender equality into senior leadership roles (60.9%) and the recruitment and selection processes (56.3%). However, gender equality is least embedded in the coverage of employee bonus at 55.2%.

The report also cautioned that 8% of Philippine businesses said they plan to relax or have already relaxed some of their gender equality initiatives.

“Given the external pressures and changes organizations have faced this year, it’s only natural that many would revisit their initiatives,” Eleanor L. Roque, tax principal at P&A Grant Thornton, said.

Most common areas affected when companies revisit their gender equality initiatives include senior leadership roles, mentoring programs, and employee pay, P&A Grant Thornton said.

Asked to comment, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said adopting DEI initiatives is now a standard practice globally.

“This forms part of compliance with ESG (environmental, social, and governance) standards, and is encouraged by global regulators to align with global best practices,” he said via Viber. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz