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By the margin

More feminist family businesses

Unverified translation
From left to right, Pilar Marquès, director of the Chair-Chamber of Family Business (University of Girona); Esteban Sastre, director of economy and studies of the Family Business Institute; Rosa Tous, president of Ascef; Fernando Álvarez, chair of Family Business and Business Creation, CEU Abat Oliba University.
From left to right, Pilar Marquès, director of the Chair-Chamber of Family Business (University of Girona); Esteban Sastre, director of economics and studies of the Family Business Institute; Rosa Tous, president of Ascef; Fernando Álvarez, Chair of Family Business and Business Creation, CEU Abat Oliba University. 5
Agustí Sala
21/06/2026
2 min

BarcelonaThere is a long way to go in male-female parity in company management. Half of the population is still underrepresented. But despite still low levels, the situation is slightly better in Catalan family businesses. This is highlighted in a study promoted by the Catalan Association of Family Business (ASCEF), according to which, companies of this type "are clearly more inclusive of women".

The analysis promoted by ASCEF and carried out by the five Catalan family business chairs (CEU Abat Oliba, Girona, Barcelona, Lleida, and International University of Catalonia), which updates a previous study from 2017, states that the presence of women in management "is higher in family businesses, consistently across all age groups".

Although there are evident differences between sectors, the presence of women in management is systematically higher in these companies. And this is important data because family-controlled companies represent 92.3% of the total in Catalonia, generate 76.9% of private employment, and contribute 70.3% of gross value added (GVA). The analysis highlights that there is a higher percentage of women in family businesses, regardless of the generation. In any case, female presence increases as the company ages and, therefore, adapts to social changes.

At the time of founding – the first ten years of life – the presence of women in management is 21.5% compared to 12.7% in other companies. In the first generation (after the first ten years) it is 24.3% compared to 18.9% in the rest; in the second, 27.1% compared to 21.3%; and in the third, 26.8% compared to 21.5%. In addition to increasing the proportion as the company ages, female presence tends to consolidate. Rosa Tous, president of ASCEF and vice-president of Tous, and her sisters, Alba, who is the president, and Laura, an executive councilor, are an example in the jewelry and fashion company founded by their parents.

In summary, it is now less common for daughters, nieces, or granddaughters to be excluded from management bodies simply because they are women. In any case, despite the greater sensitivity of family businesses to gender equality, there is still a long way to go. And we hope it is not as long as the forty or fifty years that some studies calculate it will take to reach 40% or parity in management positions.

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