Almost one in three senior executives in Ireland are women, says CSO survey

Gender Balance in Business survey finds a quarter of boards of directors membership were female

The number of women in senior executive roles in Ireland has increased marginally, new research from the CSO shows. Picture: iStock

The number of women in senior executive roles in Ireland has increased marginally, new research from the CSO shows.

The Gender Balance in Business Survey found that almost a third (32.3%) of senior executives in Ireland were female, up from 30.4% in 2023, which was the last time the survey was conducted.

More than a quarter (27.9%) of boards of directors members in Ireland were female in 2025, compared with 24.6% in 2023.

The number of female CEOs increased slightly from 19% in 2023 to 19.2% in 2025 while the number of female chairpersons were down slightly from 18.7% in 2023 to 17.8% in 2025.

More than a third (34.3%) of enterprises in the services sector had at least 40% female representation on their boards of directors in 2025.

The construction sector at 15.2% had the lowest level of female representation in senior executive roles in 2025, though it has increased in the sector, from 13.4% in 2023 and 9.5% in 2021.

The survey information was gathered from large enterprises (250 or more employees) who were asked to provide information on the members of both their senior executive team and board of directors on January 1, 2025. Almost 900 enterprises were surveyed online, of which 64% completed the survey.

In 2025, almost one in eight (12.3%) of all female board members had been appointed in the last year. More than three in 10 (30.1%) females had been on the board for one to two years. 

Reacting to the survey, Jennifer Loftus, chief financial officer and chief actuary for Acorn Life said that while progress has been made, there remains much room for improvement.

"We need to see more women in decision-making roles in the workplace. Having women at the decision-making table generally works out better for all in the workplace and across all sectors of society. 

"It also gives women a better chance to improve their pay prospects as typically the more senior the role, the better the pay."