It’s claimed outdated gender norms are still highly prevalent in Clare, despite increasing numbers of women in senior management roles.
New research shows that one in seven Irish businesses have no women in senior management.
The latest report from Grant Thornton has found an increase in the amount of companies with female representation in leadership roles in the last year.
In 2024 one in 10 companies were without women in senior management roles – this year it’s one in seven.
This ranks Ireland sixth worst out of 31 countries surveyed worldwide for companies with no females in senior roles.
Clare ISME Representative & Owner of St Tola’s Goat Cheese, Siobhán Ni Gharbhith, says although Clare boasts a large proportion of women in leadership positions, some sexist beliefs remain.
Implementing gender quotas has been identified as one remedy for the lack of women in senior leadership roles.
Such quotas have already yielded greater hiring rates for women across the country, with 38% of companies surveyed claiming to have already exceeded the quota, and a further 30% set to do so in the next three years.
Maeve Sheridan from Western Heard Brewery in Kilmaley admits it’s an imperfect system, but says it’s one that’s necessary until there is a cultural shift across the country.
You can listen to the full interview here:
