Women middle and senior managers

Workforce diversity, particularly the inclusion of women in leadership roles, significantly enhances business performance by improving financial outcomes such as return on assets, equity and sales. Studies show that having a greater number of women in top management positions not only drives profitability but also contributes to a more innovative and resilient corporate culture. This study, primarily using data from the 2021 Census of Population, examines the representation of women in middle and senior management positions in Canada, comparing their characteristics with those of their men counterparts. The analysis also adopts an intersectional approach to explore the representation of women managers among racialized and Indigenous populations. The results indicate that, despite some progress, women remain underrepresented in management roles, holding 42.7% of middle management and 30.8% of senior management positions as of 2021. Although women’s average hourly wages have increased faster than men’s, a gender wage gap persists: 8.7% for middle managers and 9.0% for senior managers in 2021, down from 19.3% and 20.0%, respectively, in 2001. Women’s representation varies significantly by sector, with a higher presence in health care and social assistance and in educational services, and a lower presence in construction and in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Additionally, women’s representation among managers increases with the age of their youngest child. Compared with their representation among non-managers, immigrants and racialized individuals are also underrepresented in management roles, with women in these groups facing additional barriers. Indigenous women are underrepresented among women middle managers (3.4%), though their proportion among women senior managers (4.5%) is comparable to their share among non-managers (4.1%). The study underscores the need for diversity and inclusion policies to enhance representation at the middle management level, which is crucial for preparing women for higher leadership positions.