Women Representation In B2B Sales Drops To 31% At Senior Level: Gartner Survey
Obstacles and lack of opportunity, rather than lack of ambition, explain the underrepresentation.
Despite making up nearly half of the global workforce, women represent only 40% of mid-level B2B sales employees, a figure that drops to 31% at the senior level, according to research and consulting firm Gartner.
Gartner conducted a labour market survey of 72,000 employees globally, which included respondents who identified as having a B2B sales role. The survey revealed that nearly one-quarter of the women surveyed in B2B sales said they were actively job searching in 2023.
In addition, 58% of women and 47% of men said that if they were offered rapid career advancement, they would accept a new job that is otherwise similar to their current one. This suggests that obstacles and lack of opportunity, rather than lack of ambition, are more likely to explain the underrepresentation of women in senior sales roles.
When it comes to work roles and responsibilities, the survey found that women report going above and beyond more frequently than their male counterparts. Sixty-eight percent of the women surveyed volunteered for additional duties, 76% frequently helped others who have heavy workloads and 83% constantly looked for ways to do their jobs better.
“It is essential that sales leaders remove the roadblocks that prevent women from advancing into senior roles,” said Kelly Fischbein, senior principal, research, in the Gartner Sales Practice. “Looking beyond equality and optics, it’s clear that organisations with gender diversity enjoy greater profitability and experience lower return-on-equity volatility.”
In order to improve representation of women in the salesforce, Gartner suggests chief sales offers should address gender-based differences at three different career stages:
Starting In Sales: Better work-life balance, comprehensive benefits and more valuable professional development opportunities are the top factors women said would lead them to accept a new job. Furthermore, 27% of women rated health benefits in their top five priorities, compared to 19% of men. In order to make their organisation more attractive to all talent, CSOs should assess both healthcare coverage and advancement opportunities.
Climbing The Ladder: The motherhood penalty often inhibits women’s career growth. Instead of disqualifying women for a gap in their employment history, CSOs should reconsider how they hire for mid-level sales roles and seek to counteract this gap.
Succeeding At The Top: With the striking drop-off of women in senior levels, sales leaders should empower underrepresented talent through growth-focused networks that will build performance, development and advancement in sales.
“By reevaluating benefits strategies and systematically building a diverse leadership pipeline that ensures women are part of their talent bench, leaders can keep women engaged and on the corporate ladder,” said Fischbein.
