- Increase of over 50% since 2000 

- Meath has highest percentage of female directors, Dublin lowest

The number of female directors in Ireland has risen by over 50% since 2000, with women now accounting for 31% of directorships held in Irish registered companies. These figures were unveiled today by Experian, the global information solutions company.

According to the analysis carried out by Experian’s Business Information division, women now account for over 72,000 or 31% of the 232,877 directorships held in Ireland. This compares well with the UK, where only 23% of directors are women.

A regional analysis of the figures shows Meath has the highest percentage of female directorships at 38%, while Dublin has the lowest percentage with just 26% of all directorships being held by women. Comparing Provinces, Ulster displayed the highest percentage of female directors with 34% while the lowest provincial figure was in Leinster where 30% of directorships were held by women. (Women in Munster and Connnacht each hold 33% of directorships in their respective provinces).

Speaking at the launch of the figures, Liam Reddy, Director of Experian Ireland’s Business Information division, said:

“The research results highlight the strong trend in Corporate Ireland for an increasing number of female company directors.  In 2000, just 20% of all directorships were held by women. By 2006 there has seen a significant increase in this number and there are now over 72,000 female directors in Ireland. The glass ceiling may still be in place for Ireland’s female directors, but the cracks are definitely widening.

“Further study of the figures shows that women seem to be making director level in their 50s while men attain directorships in their late 30s and 40s.”