Sample: Women in IR 2022
Sample: Human Capital Management report 2021
Sample:
Women in IR 2022
A comparative analysis of gender differences in salary and seniority within investor relations
In the IR Magazine Global IR Salary & Careers Report 2022, we analyzed the gender pay difference among IR professionals and looked at differences in professional background and responsibilities. We found that while the gender gap had appeared to narrow in some areas, there were still factors leading to an overall disparity.
This report looks further into the data behind these initial findings. Here we analyze the results for both IR heads and IROs, by region and company size, to identify in what particular areas the gender gap exists and where it may have closed.
We examine the salaries and bonuses of male and female IROs and IR heads, as well as their professional backgrounds, what additional responsibilities they have in their role and what professional training they have undertaken.
We also look at how the demands of the job have changed for men and women and what the comparative career aspirations are for male and female IROs.
This report is based on responses to IR Magazine’s Global IR Survey between Q1 2021 and Q1 2022. For the purposes of this study, the key regions examined are North America, Europe and Asia, while the categories for market capitalization are defined as follows:
- There are more than twice as many men employed as heads of IR in North America as there are women, while the women who do become IR heads typically earn less than the men.
- The median salary range for North American IROs is the same for both men and women, at $100,000 to $149,999.
- Just under a third of North American men working in IR come from corporate finance, compared with one in five women.
- Only one in five men in North American IR have had accredited professional training with an IR association, while almost half of women in IR have undertaken such training.
- The male/female ratio for European IR heads broadly matches the gender make-up of IR teams in general, although men typically earn more as IR heads in Europe than women do.
- Female IROs in Europe typically earn more than men.
- A third of men working in European IR come directly from corporate finance, compared with 21 percent of women.
The percentage of women IR bosses in Asia is actually higher than the percentage of women working in IR generally.
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Just under six in 10 IR heads globally are men, with just over four in 10 women. A little more than half of all IR professionals are male, which means men working in investor relations are more likely than women to get the top job.
Men who get the top job are also likely to be better paid than women. Global median salaries for male IR heads are one pay bracket higher than for female bosses. While 37 percent of men who head IR teams earn upwards of $250,000, this compares with only 23 percent of women in the same position. Just under four in 10 female IR chiefs earn less than $150,000, compared with 22 percent of IR heads who are male.
Although very high percentages of both male and female IR heads earned a bonus in the 12-month period covered by the survey, men typically took a bonus of 40 percent of their base salary, compared with 32 percent for women.
Just under a third of North American men working in IR have come from corporate finance directly before joining the IR team. This compares with one in five women, with more women having come from other corporate backgrounds.
More men than women in North American IR come from a capital markets background, with two fifths having moved over from the investment side, compared with just 27 percent of women. North American women are more likely to have come from other backgrounds or to have always worked in IR.
Asia: Responsibilities and training
Asia: Responsibilities and training
Approaching three in five women and a majority of men working in IR in Asia have additional corporate communications responsibilities. PR responsibilities are also held by 40 percent of female IR professionals in Asia and 36 percent of men.
While three in five men have additional responsibilities for corporate strategy, this figure falls to two in five among Asian women in investor relations. More women than men in Asia have no additional responsibilities outside of IR.
Almost twice as many women as men working in investor relations in Asia have undertaken IR association training. Just 36 percent of men have had accredited professional training, compared with more than seven in 10 women in IR.
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