Research reveals Women hold over 25% more Senior Positions in the Meat Industry

On May 17, research was unveiled at the Meat Business Women UK and Ireland conference in London.

Survey reveals that in the meat business, women now hold 32% of high-level leadership positions, up from 22%, according to a recent independent, international survey commissioned by Meat Business Women. 

Women now hold 23% (up from 14%) of board-level director positions and 32% (up from 29%) of middle-management positions.

Despite these advancements, data reveals that women hold just 8% of CEO positions (an increase of 3% since 2020), and that their representation in the global workforce has decreased to 33.5% (from 36%).

In the unskilled workforce, women currently make up only 36% of the workforce, down from 40%.

Inclusivity Gap

The survey also showed that there is a growing divide between meat firms that are inclusive and those that are not.

In the sector, flexible working is recognised as the top enabler of gender inclusion, and the research demonstrates that for true change to occur, men and women must collaborate to forge a more inclusive future.

According to meat Business Women's founder and worldwide chair Laura Ryan, the data shows that inclusion is no longer a "nice-to-have" but rather a need if the meat sector is to prosper in the years to come.

Despite the fact that the sector is more unequal than it was in 2002, there is a strong need for more pre-competitive work on critical workforce policy concerns and best practises.

She declared, "There has never been a more crucial time to keep in mind that a rising tide lifts all boats."

In-depth interviews with top HR and operational leaders, focus groups with women working in the sector, international data from more than 50 large meat firms with about 250,000 employees, and survey results from 400 women and men were all used to create the study.