Survey on the Reality and Perceived Challenges of Women in Management Positions
Enworld Japan conducted a survey on the reality and perceived challenges of women in management positions. It revealed that foreign and startup companies have a higher ratio of women in management than Japanese companies, and female employees also have a high motivation for promotion. A gap in understanding challenges exists between companies and female employees.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 13:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 16:15 (290h 45m after Collected)
Enworld Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yusuke Yamamoto), a leading recruitment agency specializing in high-class and global talent in Japan, conducted a "Survey on the Reality and Perceived Challenges of Women in Management Positions" targeting hiring companies and employees working in Japanese and foreign-affiliated companies.
**[Survey Results Summary]**
* **Companies with 30% or more women in manager-level positions – a significant difference with 28% for both foreign-affiliated and startups, and 9% for Japanese companies.**
* **Female employees' motivation for promotion is over 60% in both Japanese and foreign-affiliated companies, and a high 75% in startups – the most common reason for wanting promotion is "improved income and treatment," followed by "challenge and increased discretion" and "career advancement and specialization," with no significant difference by company type.**
* **Gap in perceived challenges: 62% of companies cite "shortage of suitable candidates," while 57% of female employees cite "balancing childcare and elder care" as their top challenge.**
* **Differences in system implementation by company type: "Childcare and elder care leave" is 91% for Japanese companies, 65% for foreign-affiliated, and 64% for startups; "Equal pay and career opportunities for men and women" is 52% for startups, surpassing Japanese and foreign-affiliated companies.**
*In this survey, company types are defined as "Japanese," "Foreign-affiliated," and "Startup." Startups are companies that responded their business phase is "startup/rapid growth phase (startup)" regardless of whether they are Japanese or foreign-affiliated. Companies that responded their business phase is "mature/stable phase" and selected either Japanese or foreign-affiliated are classified as Japanese or foreign-affiliated, respectively.
**[Detailed Survey Results]**
* **Companies with 30% or more women in manager-level positions – a significant difference with 28% for both foreign-affiliated and startups, and 9% for Japanese companies.**
We asked hiring companies (hereinafter, companies) about the ratio of women in management positions at each level. When looking at the percentage of companies with a female management ratio of "30% or more" by level, differences by company type were observed.
In Japanese companies, managers were 9%, directors had no applicable cases (*), and executives remained at 9%.
On the other hand, in foreign-affiliated companies, managers were 28%, directors 24%, and executives 15%, significantly exceeding Japanese companies at all levels. Particularly for managers, foreign-affiliated companies were 28% and Japanese companies 9%, a 19-point difference (approximately 3 times the ratio).
In startups, managers were 28%, directors 12%, and executives 8%, surpassing Japanese companies, but the ratio decreased at higher levels, indicating a limited appointment to executive positions. Thus, when viewed by company type, Japanese companies generally had low ratios, foreign-affiliated companies had higher ratios at all levels, and startups had high ratios up to middle management but struggled at higher levels. [Figure 1]
*These results may be influenced by sample size and differences in organizational structure and personnel composition among companies.
[Figure 1] Please indicate the levels where the ratio of women in management (manager/section chief or higher) is 30% or more. (Companies)
* **Companies with 30% or more women in manager-level positions – a significant difference with 28% for both foreign-affiliated and startups, and 9% for Japanese companies.**
**[Survey Results Summary]**
* **Companies with 30% or more women in manager-level positions – a significant difference with 28% for both foreign-affiliated and startups, and 9% for Japanese companies.**
* **Female employees' motivation for promotion is over 60% in both Japanese and foreign-affiliated companies, and a high 75% in startups – the most common reason for wanting promotion is "improved income and treatment," followed by "challenge and increased discretion" and "career advancement and specialization," with no significant difference by company type.**
* **Gap in perceived challenges: 62% of companies cite "shortage of suitable candidates," while 57% of female employees cite "balancing childcare and elder care" as their top challenge.**
* **Differences in system implementation by company type: "Childcare and elder care leave" is 91% for Japanese companies, 65% for foreign-affiliated, and 64% for startups; "Equal pay and career opportunities for men and women" is 52% for startups, surpassing Japanese and foreign-affiliated companies.**
*In this survey, company types are defined as "Japanese," "Foreign-affiliated," and "Startup." Startups are companies that responded their business phase is "startup/rapid growth phase (startup)" regardless of whether they are Japanese or foreign-affiliated. Companies that responded their business phase is "mature/stable phase" and selected either Japanese or foreign-affiliated are classified as Japanese or foreign-affiliated, respectively.
**[Detailed Survey Results]**
* **Companies with 30% or more women in manager-level positions – a significant difference with 28% for both foreign-affiliated and startups, and 9% for Japanese companies.**
We asked hiring companies (hereinafter, companies) about the ratio of women in management positions at each level. When looking at the percentage of companies with a female management ratio of "30% or more" by level, differences by company type were observed.
In Japanese companies, managers were 9%, directors had no applicable cases (*), and executives remained at 9%.
On the other hand, in foreign-affiliated companies, managers were 28%, directors 24%, and executives 15%, significantly exceeding Japanese companies at all levels. Particularly for managers, foreign-affiliated companies were 28% and Japanese companies 9%, a 19-point difference (approximately 3 times the ratio).
In startups, managers were 28%, directors 12%, and executives 8%, surpassing Japanese companies, but the ratio decreased at higher levels, indicating a limited appointment to executive positions. Thus, when viewed by company type, Japanese companies generally had low ratios, foreign-affiliated companies had higher ratios at all levels, and startups had high ratios up to middle management but struggled at higher levels. [Figure 1]
*These results may be influenced by sample size and differences in organizational structure and personnel composition among companies.
[Figure 1] Please indicate the levels where the ratio of women in management (manager/section chief or higher) is 30% or more. (Companies)
* **Companies with 30% or more women in manager-level positions – a significant difference with 28% for both foreign-affiliated and startups, and 9% for Japanese companies.**