Women close gender gap in banking

New research suggests it's become easier for women to land jobs in investment banking than for men.

Women account for 43.1% of candidates registered for financial jobs, but make up 49.6% of those actually placed in roles. By comparison, men account for 56.9% of registered applicants but make up only 50.4% of those clinching roles.

Keith Robinson is managing director of Origin, the HR outsourcing arm of diversified recruitment firm Blomfield Group, which undertook the research. He says banks' diversity initiatives may be leading them to favour women: "I suspect that the banks, all other aspects of each candidate's application being equal, may at times favour female applicants."

Although the obstacles of the past remain, such as long hours and traditionally male-dominated environments, banks are looking for ways to push women into banking. Lehman Brothers, for example, is investing 1.75m in a new Centre for Women in Business at London Business School to investigate the challenges surrounding the attraction and retention of women. The bank is currently advertising for an associate director for the Centre.