Only 24% of investment professionals working in European private equity and venture capital are women, according to research by Level 20, a U.K.-based gender diversity nonprofit organization.
The number is an improvement from 2020, when only 20% of investment professionals in European private equity were women.
The study surveyed over 11,500 investment professionals in more than 700 firms across 13 countries. It also found that senior investment roles held by women increased from 10% in 2022 to 14% in 2024, and the number of local all-male investment teams has decreased from 38% to 26% in the same time period.
Of the countries surveyed, France and Sweden were leaders in gender diversity within private equity, with 31% and 28%, respectively, of roles held by women. Venture capital was found to have a higher average of women in professional positions than private equity.
“What we heard is that when it comes to venture capital, there are lots of factors that have naturally created a more diverse environment," said Gurpreet Manku, chief executive of Level 20.
"Firms tend to be more recently established, at a time when workforce diversity is in focus, and employees tend to skew younger with smaller teams that tend to allow for a more flexible structure.”
Data was collected between March and June 2024 from open sources on individuals working at all firms in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
