All-women teams account for less than one-fifth of the whole Asia-Pacific equity and fixed income universe, according to Morningstar research.
Just 16% of equity and 17% of fixed income management teams are all female, versus 57% and 66% for all-male teams, respectively, Morningstar calculations showed. The rest are mixed gender.
Morningstar’s research was released on Tuesday, International Women’s Day.
“Companies that create inclusive cultures are tapping into the labour force’s full talent pool while benefitting from cognitive diversity,” Dan Lefkovitz, Morningstar’s index strategist based in Chicago, said.
“They are not only advancing the cause of human rights but could also be maximising shareholder value.”
Hong Kong, Japan Low Scoring for Gender Diversity
Hong Kong and Japan are among the lowest scoring markets for gender diversity in the Morningstar Gender Diversity indexes.
In Hong Kong just 4% of companies report on their gender pay gap and in Japan the figure is just 2%. Hong Kong does score well for gender balance in its workforce, with roughly 40% female representation.
Gender diversity within Japanese companies is the lowest of the developed markets studied by Equileap, a specialist researcher.
Hang Seng Bank, which is based in Hong Kong, scores well for female representation across all levels of its workforce — the general employee base, management, executives, and the board of directors.
It also offers parental leave and flexible work options, which promote gender diversity.
CLP Holdings of Hong Kong stands out for its anti-abuse policies and its efforts in the areas of career development, employee training, and equal opportunity.
The utility receives partial credit for gender diversity within its workforce and for its parental leave and work flexibility policies.
NTT Data of Japan scores decently on representation, especially across its workforce at large. The IT service provider’s policies promote equality within its business and its supply chain. It offers parental leave and flexible work.
City Developments of Singapore scores well for female representation within its executive and management ranks.
The property business has strong policies to promote employee development and combat abuse and offers parental leave and flexible work and scores well for promoting diversity within its supply chain.
“Women have fared poorly over the past two years during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Lefkovitz added.
“From exposure to the virus as frontline workers to rising domestic violence to shouldering the family care burden, women have been disproportionately affected across the globe.”
- George Russell
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