According to a new study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) Pakistan ranks last among countries where the management force is female.

With only 3 per cent of women in management positions, Pakistan was ranked 108 out of 108 countries studied. Other nations which were found to have an abysmal record for females in managerial positions included Algeria, Jordan and Bangladesh.

Jamaica had the highest number of female bosses in the world, with 59.3 per cent of the women of the island nation’s management force being female.

53.1 per cent of Colombian managers are female, placing it second, while Saint Lucia, rounds off the top three with 52.3 per cent.

The United States was in 15th place, where 43 per cent of all managers are women.

The study said that while women have greatly increased their share of management jobs and as entrepreneurs over the last two decades, there is still a dearth of women in top decision making positions, as CEOs and board members.

The ILO study elaborated that a major reason why women are not selected for top management jobs is because their management experience is not sufficiently diverse.

It said that barriers for women in leadership positions are largely related to cultural, religious and social norms that date back centuries, even though the world of work and society has changed.

The study noted that: "Australia, Canada, Hong Kong China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States of America, while stopping short of quotas, have adopted a variety of measures to promote more women in management, such as inclusion of gender diversity requirements and reporting in corporate governance codes, codes of conduct, voluntary targets and cooperative initiatives between business and government."

The study listed a number of reasons why women are held back in leadership positions including;

1) Women having more family responsibilities than men

2) Roles assigned by society to men and women

3) Masculine corporate culture

4) Women with insufficient general or line management experience

5) Few role models for women

6) Men not encouraged to take leaves for family responsibilities

7) Lack of company equality policy and programmes

8) Stereotypes against women

9) Lack of leadership training for women

10) Lack of flexible work solutions

11) Lack of strategy for retention of skilled women

12) Inherent gender bias in recruitment and promotion

13) Gender equality policies in place not implemented

14) Inadequate labour and non-dicrimination laws