Global professional services firm Grant Thornton has released the Women in Business 2025 report, highlighting the state of female leadership in Spain across private, public, listed, and family-owned companies.
The report reveals a slight decline in women holding senior management roles, dropping from a historic 40 per cent over the past two years to 38.4 per cent. Despite this dip, Spain is still ahead of both the European and global average of 34 per cent, shoring up its position as the top country in Europe and sixth worldwide for women in leadership.
The report, based on 5,000 global interviews, including 400 in Spain (200 online and 200 by telephone, with 72.65 per cent male and 27.39 per cent female respondents), shows major progress over time. Over the past decade, female representation in senior roles in Spain has risen by 12.8 percentage points, with a 4.6-point increase in the last five years. However, the recent 1.6-point decline reveals a need for continued efforts. Isabel Perea, audit partner at Grant Thornton and leader of its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, stressed, “Assuming 38 per cent is the finish line would be a mistake. We must keep encouraging active equity policies in the workplace between male and female workers to ensure women can fully realise their potential in leadership.”
Women leadership variances across Spain
Regionally, progress in Spain varies. Catalonia (44.2 per cent) and Madrid (42.2 per cent) lead with the highest rates of female executives, followed by Aragón (40.9 per cent), Navarra (39.7 per cent), Galicia (36.8 per cent), Valencia (36.1 per cent), Andalusia (28.3 per cent), and the Basque Country (35.7 per cent). Catalonia and Aragón saw significant gains of 8.2 and 6.9 points, respectively, while Valencia and Andalusia experienced declines of 7.9 and 7.7 points.
The report also notes that only 4.5 per cent of Spanish companies lack women in senior roles, a figure better than the EU’s 4.7 per cent but slightly above the global 4.1 per cent. This shows a 26.2-point improvement over the past decade. However, women’s access to top roles like CEO (down 7 points to 19.3 per cent) and chair (4.5 per cent) remains limited compared to other positions.
Ramón Galcerán, President of Grant Thornton, highlighted the link between gender diversity and improved business performance, insisting that companies stay committed despite regulatory or public opinion challenges. The private sector is best at transparency, with 83 per cent of Spanish firms publicly sharing gender data, more than the EU (78 per cent).
