While barriers still prevent many qualified women from achieving higher positions in the fintech space, data shows that the representation of women is gradually improving.
Ireland’s finance sector is booming, despite the many political and social issues that have impacted the world over the course of the last few years. From Brexit and the pandemic, to increased political instability and mass layoffs in relevant fields, for example the tech layoffs, Ireland’s fintech ecosystem is showing signs of resilience and progress.
According to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which recently published the 2025 Ireland’s Women in Finance Charter report, another sign of progress within the evolving fintech space is the inclusion of more women in senior positions.
Compiled by the ESRI in collaboration with Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, Financial Services Ireland, Insurance Ireland and Irish Funds, the Charter is an industry initiative supported by the Government, under the Ireland for Finance Strategy. It aims to improve the representation of women at all levels, in Ireland’s financial businesses.
Data was collected from 94 Charter affiliated organisations who collectively employ more than 72,000 people in full and part-time positions, across a range of small, medium and large companies.
What was of significant note is that, over the course of the last three years, more women are recorded as holding senior-level roles in the finance sector. Specifically, when the participating organisations first offered a data baseline, indicating how many women were operating at a board level, that figure stood at just over 30pc. Now, 36pc of board level personnel are women.
In senior management, initially 36pc of employees were women, whereas now, that number has jumped to 43pc. Similarly, while not having improved as much as the data related to either board or senior management figures, 22pc of CEOs in participating companies are women, which is up from the 19pc that was recorded when businesses first established that baseline.
All of that is to say that, gradually, there is an obvious improvement in the representation of women across all levels of the fintech sector and perhaps most importantly it shows an effort to put women in the rooms where the important conversations are taking place.
According to the survey authors, ESRI research assistant Eva Slevin and research professor at ESRI and adjunct professor at Trinity College Dublin, Helen Russell, the progress made by contributing companies has the potential to greatly influence the opportunities and career outcomes for women in the Irish financial sector.
Particularly as signatory organisations are required to commit to setting at least one positive target that addresses the ongoing gender imbalance evident in their own ecosystems. So, what are the barriers holding women in the finance industry back?
Career restraints
While the upwards trajectory of women in the workplace and the improvement of career progression data in regards to women, is always going to be positive, it is important to note that the figures cited within the survey are still significantly lower than those related to male careers and the report shows that more needs to be done.
As explained in the Charter, structural barriers often derail women as they attempt to forge a stronger professional identity. For example ‘gender norms’ that identify men as more equipped for leadership, a lack of support for women who are disproportionately affected by care duties and discrimination, among others can contribute to inequalities in career advancement.
Many of the organisations involved cited low turnover, limited female applicants and a lack of necessary skills as barriers to achieving gender targets, however, the report suggests that many of these problems feed into one another and could potentially be resolved by improved organisational and governmental support and oversight.
“While low turnover is difficult to remedy and is positive in terms of retention, low numbers of female applicants is a challenge that could be addressed through external government policies that, for example, improve educational opportunities, or internal policies that address potential barriers for female applicants.
“This is reflected in the qualitative interviews, where firms emphasised the need for flexibility in roles, or improved STEM opportunities for young women.”
Russell stated, “This year’s report demonstrates the continued progress in growing female participation in the financial services sector in Ireland. While there is still work to be done, the targets set out by signatory firms demonstrate ambition and have the potential to encourage organisations in the wider economy to promote increased female participation in their sectors.
“Both organisational and government policies are needed to address gender inequalities. At the firm level, actions to support internal advancement of women to more senior roles were seen as highly effective, these included strategies such as mentoring, leadership training and succession planning.”
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