The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy, together with ChileMujeres, have released the seventh edition of the Gender Indicators Report for Companies in Chile. The report, which has been published annually since 2019, continues to show that as responsibility levels rise within companies, female representation declines.
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nicolás Grau and Economy and Energy Minister Álvaro García joined Francisca Junemann, executive president of ChileMujeres, to present the findings. The event included a panel discussion with representatives from the private sector, trade associations, and regulatory bodies to analyze the results and discuss challenges facing gender equity in business leadership.
The purpose of this ongoing study is to measure and make visible gender gaps in labor participation, pay equity, and access to high-responsibility positions such as board memberships and senior management roles within Chilean companies. It aims to provide evidence for public policy design and encourage faster progress toward greater equity.
During his presentation, Minister Grau stated: “We as a government are convinced that equality between men and women is important in all relevant areas of social life. Of course, business is a very relevant area of social life. In business, decisions are made that are important for those who are there but also for those outside the company. Their technology decisions, their scheduling decisions—all their strategies—end up having a significant impact at every level. And if we spend eight or more hours in our workplaces each day, it is very important that this perspective is reflected there as well.”
He added: “The recovery in employment has been mainly driven by female employment. The problem we have—and which is well illustrated by this report—is that women’s participation in paid work varies greatly depending on organizational hierarchy. This issue must be addressed; it again highlights why we must see this as a political problem. What happens inside companies is also political because it’s about power distribution—and all power distribution issues are political.”
Minister García noted that women are well qualified for managerial or board positions due to their strong presence in higher education: “If we look at the results from Chile’s educational system, we see women are equally or more present than men at university and postgraduate levels. Last year 53% of first-year university students were women; in postgraduate programs it was 49.4%. They are perfectly qualified to participate more actively in corporate management roles; their absence isn’t just an injustice—it’s an economic mistake affecting national progress because diversity clearly contributes to productivity and efficiency. Including women is therefore a practical way for our country to advance,” he said.
This year’s report analyzed data from 479 companies reporting under General Rules No. 386 and No. 461 issued by the Financial Market Commission (CMF). These firms employ over 365,000 female workers alongside 1,229 first-line managers and 553 board directors who are women.
Key findings show persistent disparities along hierarchical lines: while women account for 39% of total employees across these companies, only 23.1% hold first-line management roles—a figure dropping further to just 17% among board members. Pay gaps remain notable too: administrative/mid-level roles see an average wage gap disadvantaging women by 8.2%, rising to 10.2% at executive level.
The study also highlights so-called “Zero Companies,” defined as organizations with no female staff or without any women at specific hierarchical levels analyzed—5 firms had no female employees at all (1%), while another 170 (37%) had no female first-line managers; regarding boards of directors specifically, 157 companies (33%) had none who were women—with only fourteen businesses employing four or more female directors (2.9%).
María José Díaz—the general manager of ChileMujeres—noted: “While trends around female participation among managers are positive overall,the data shows progress remains uneven.The existence of ‘Zero Companies’—organizations with no woman holding managerial posts—demonstrates some sectors where change hasn’t started yet.Advancing requires not just acknowledging achievements but focusing efforts on closing persistent gaps,to build diverse,sustainable leadership over time.”
Sector analysis revealed substantial differences: service activities (66.1%) and education (53.1%) reported highest rates of female participation; construction (11.4%)and mining/quarrying(16.6%)remained below one-fifth representation.
Comparisons between IPSA-listed companies versus others found higher proportions of working women/directors among IPSA firms,but non-IPSA organizations saw greater numbers occupying first-line management posts.Medium-sized enterprises led both employee/managerial categories while larger corporations stood out regarding director-level inclusion.
The launch event included a panel moderated by Díaz featuring Bernardita Piedrabuena(Vice President,CMP),Javier Torrejón(President,Cámara Regional de Comercio de Valparaíso),and María Teresa González(General Manager Statkraft Chile).Panelists discussed industry challenges,recommendations for collective action,and anticipated impacts from new regulations such as January’s Law on More Women on Boards.
Full details can be accessed via websites belonging both to the Ministry of Finance and ChileMujeres.
