Analysis of the latest Companies House data reveals the best and worst cities for female directors in business.
Women are better educated and more active in the workforce now than ever before. Over 72% of women are employed in the UK currently compared to 65% a decade ago. More are in director and CEO roles.
Despite this, the gender pay gap remains a persistent reminder of the inequality between men and women, with women still largely underrepresented in leadership roles. In fact, the average woman works for free for nearly two months of the year compared to the average man.
On average, women in the UK earn £5,576 less than men annually. This disparity can also be seen in the highest echelons of business.
Of the 117,486 companies launched with directors this year, just 32,183 of those directors are women, compared to 89,540 who are men.
While this paints an unsurprising picture of the overall landscape, the good news is that in some cities, the representation of women at the director level in business is growing.
UK cities with the most female directors
An analysis of companies launched with directors in 2022 shows London, Manchester and Birmingham are the cities with the highest level of female representation.
London leads the charge, with the highest percentage of female leaders in the country at 22%.
Previously voted the third-best city globally for women-led businesses, the English capital has been praised for its ability to attract, support and foster growth for female leaders.
City | Number of female directors in 2022 |
---|---|
London | 6,921 |
Manchester | 713 |
Birmingham | 641 |
Glasgow | 379 |
Leeds | 367 |
Bristol | 321 |
Leicester | 296 |
Cardiff | 292 |
Liverpool | 290 |
Nottingham | 270 |
Distribution of women in leadership roles across generations in 2022
Age bracket | Number of female directors |
---|---|
18-25 | 1,603 |
26-30 | 5,166 |
31-40 | 10,516 |
41-50 | 8,221 |
50 | 6,822 |
UK cities with the least female directors
Some UK cities have far more work to support putting women in director roles, with Portsmouth, Oxford and Plymouth showing the lowest overall representation of women at director level countrywide.
City | Number of female Directors in 2022 |
---|---|
Portsmouth | 35 |
Oxford | 45 |
Plymouth | 70 |
Aberdeen | 74 |
Exeter | 75 |
Swansea | 85 |
Belfast | 101 |
Bournemouth | 105 |
Wolverhampton | 105 |
Brighton | 115 |
Gender imbalance: cities and sectors with the most and least female representation in upper management
When it comes to an equal distribution of men and women in director roles, the gap is significant across the UK at both a city and sector level.
In Birmingham, Liverpool and Cardiff, men appear at director level three times more often than women.
City | % Male directors | % Female directors |
---|---|---|
Birmingham | 76% | 24% |
Liverpool | 76% | 24% |
Cardiff | 76% | 24% |
Southampton | 75% | 25% |
London | 74% | 26% |
Manchester | 74% | 26% |
Glasgow | 74% | 26% |
Coventry | 74% | 26% |
Newcastle | 74% | 26% |
Leicester | 73% | 27% |
Sectors with the smallest gender balance gaps
Drilling down to industry level, some sectors have a slightly better gender balance while others lean into men’s favour.
Some of the sectors with an almost equal balance of men and women in upper management roles include cooking, cleaning and educational services.
Type | % Male directors | % Female directors |
---|---|---|
Event catering (Food services, beverage serving) | 52% | 48% |
Commercial cleaning (Buildings) | 52% | 48% |
Specialist medical practitioners (Eye specialists, gynaecologists, mental health specialists) | 54% | 46% |
Human health activities (Ambulance, blood banks, family planning, laboratories) | 55% | 45% |
Other education (Driving schools, learning centres, computer training) | 56% | 44% |
Educational support activities (Educational testing and evaluation, educational consulting) | 58% | 42% |
General medical practice (Consultation and treatment in general medicine) | 59% | 40% |
Specialised design (Fashion design, industrial design, graphic design) | 61% | 39% |
Hairdressing & beauty (Hairstyling, facial massage, nail tech) | 62% | 38% |
Retail sale (Clothing and accessories) | 63% | 37% |
Sectors where male directors outweigh women by more than 80%
Specialist services like construction, electrics, engineering and automotive are still dominated by men at director level.
Type | % Male directors | % Female directors |
---|---|---|
Electrical installation (Wiring and fittings, fire alarms, satellites, airport runway lighting) | 90% | 10% |
Sale of used cars and light motor vehicles (Wholesale and retail) | 90% | 10% |
Construction of commercial buildings (Hospitals, hotels, airports) | 88% | 12% |
Other construction installation (Plumbing, heat, air conditioning) | 88% | 12% |
Other engineering activities (Drafting, building inspection, surveying) | 88% | 12% |
Construction of domestic buildings (Houses, high-rise buildings) | 87% | 13% |
Other specialised construction activities n.e.c. (Scaffolding, steel bending, bricklaying) | 87% | 13% |
Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (Mechanical and electrical) | 87% | 13% |
Business and domestic software development (Planning and designing of computer systems, on-site management) | 86% | 14% |
Plumbing, heat and air (Heating, furnaces, solar, ventilation) | 86% | 14% |
Why we need more women in leadership roles
Gender diversity can ultimately benefit the bottom line, culture and overall performance.
54% of small businesses, 64% of medium ones and 59% of large companies report improved business outcomes when implementing initiatives to improve gender diversity. Sectors which reported the most considerable improvements were in construction, tech and education.
Research has also shown women score higher than men in most leadership skills.
Skill | Percentile Men | Percentile Women |
Initiative | 48% | 56% |
Resilience | 49% | 55% |
Self-development | 50% | 55% |
Develops others | 50% | 54% |
Supporting women in more influential roles in business, particularly women of colour, is vital. And while startup and entrepreneurship support and infrastructure still have some work to do countrywide, companies can start today by supporting women within organisations to advance, thrive and develop their leadership skills.
Data source:
We analysed Companies House data for 2022 and ran a gender comparison across companies registered with director level at both a city and sector level.
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