Where are all the senior women in Ireland's financial services industry?

There’s a shortage of women in Ireland's boardroom, according to the Institute of Directors in Ireland (IoD). Does this apply to the country's financial services industry too? The answer appears to be yes.

Bonnie Stevens from Accreate Executive Search says there are no women who hold 'chair' level positions in Ireland's financial services industry and that only 13% of board-level positions in the sector are held by women.

The cause of the absence at the senior level is clear: children. Lisa Holt, managing director of Careers Register, an accountancy and finance recruitment, says career breaks and childcare are an issue. “Many senior women in financial services only take 6 weeks to 3 months in maternity leave, as they are worried about the effect on their career.”

Women aren't only absent at board level. Stevens says there are also shortages of female quants and IT professionals. She attributes this to a lack of women graduating in these sectors.

On the other hand, Erica Skelly, from Careers Register, has observed that women tend to congregate in HR, compliance, legal and client services roles. "Women tend to feel more comfortable in an office environment," she says, "rather than an area such as sales where they have to do a lot of driving”.

Changes are, however, taking place. Holt says it helps if women make it to the top and help others up the ladder: "A female CEO, for example, understands that women need lives at home. There is a perception which needs to change in the corporate world, that men succeed because they are free to work long hours”.