Gender equality in the Recruitment of Senior Corporate Management. Executive summary

Abstract

This is a summary of a broader research on gender equality when recruiting people for senior management positions in listed companies and state-owned companies (Koivunen 2015). Senior management refers to the chair and members of the board as well as the CEO and operating management. Furthermore, the research focuses on the activities of executive search firms, which are in central role for the recruitment process of senior management. Companies’ recruitment practices and processes for senior management have been studied fairly little in Finland from the point of view of gender equality. Researching these practices and processes from the perspective of promoting gender equality is necessary, as, despite the higher education level that Finnish women have compared to Finnish men, there are still more men than women executives, particularly in corporate senior management. Men also climb the career ladder faster than women to become managers earlier. (Kauhanen, Kauhanen, Laine, Lilja, Maliranta & Savaja 2015; Pietiläinen, Keski-Petäjä & Katainen 2015; Statistics Finland 2014; Vuorinen-Lampila 2014.) Research is needed in order to better assess the present state of affairs and alter recruitment policies so as to take gender equality into consideration more effectively.