Women in Managerial Positions in the Spanish Banking Sector between 2017 and 2021

Abstract In Spain, growing concern about improving gender equality indicators at both governmental and corporate levels—aligned with European regulations and the Global Goals—has heightened the need for detailed analyses of gender disparities. This study addresses this need by analyzing the Spanish banking workforce to identify existing inequalities and provide novel insights into the sector’s gender dynamics. The research introduces an original dataset, comprising 1,316 records extracted from reports of 33 of the 49 banks established in Spain for the period 2017–2021, which has not been previously utilized. A key contribution is the development of the Banking Gender Equality Indicator (BGEI), a new metric that calculates the percentage of female personnel over total staff (yearly per staff category). This indicator is applied to assess the overall sector, as well as small, medium-sized and large banks, and to generate a ranking. The results highlight significant gender disparities in leadership positions within the Spanish banking sector and underscore the influence of bank size: the BGEI shows that women’s representation declines as the hierarchy level increases—32.9% in managerial positions—and worsens in medium and small banks, revealing structural inequality. The lack of comprehensive data further exacerbates the invisibility of female representation in the sector. By pioneering the use of the BGEI and offering a detailed analysis of gender inequality in the Spanish banking sector, this study provides valuable guidance for policymakers and banking institutions to design effective strategies, address disparities, and make informed decisions to promote sustainable progress in gender equality.