Women gain weight in Catalan family businesses

Barcelona"Things have changed. It is now more common for women to access positions of responsibility in family businesses. They tend to be better because it is harder for them to get there." This is the statement of the president of a large Catalan company who handed over power to a daughter to run the business. And this is no longer as unusual as it was a few years ago, although there is still a way to go. The fact is that family businesses in Catalonia "are clearly more inclusive of women".

Despite significant differences between sectors, analyses confirm that the presence of women in management "is systematically higher in family businesses" compared to the rest, according to the conclusions of a study promoted by the Catalan Association of Family Business (ASCEF), prepared with the collaboration of the five Catalan family business chairs (CEU Abat Oliba, Girona, Barcelona, Lleida, and International University of Catalonia universities).

According to the authors, "the higher female presence in family businesses can be explained by several reasons. Firstly, due to the different nature of their selection and recruitment processes. In these organizations, belonging to the owning family facilitates women's access to the company, as decisions do not depend exclusively on traditional labor market mechanisms, in which barriers and gender stereotypes may still exist. Daughters, sisters, or other family members have close knowledge of the business, share family values, and generate a high level of trust between ownership and management".

Furthermore, "additionally, the following generations of family businesses usually have many training opportunities, which they tend to take advantage of more and more. In addition, family businesses tend to have a long-term vision and especially value commitment, loyalty, continuity, and the transmission of the legacy. These characteristics can favor women assuming management, governance, or ownership responsibilities, even in traditionally male-dominated sectors," explain Pilar Marques (University of Girona) and Fernando Álvarez (Abat Oliba CEU University, Open University of Catalonia), coordinators of the study.

Hiring engine

In any case, female incorporation often occurs in highly “feminized” areas such as administration, human resources, communications, or social responsibility, "to subsequently evolve towards executive functions." And another element is important: "the incorporation of women related to the family acts as a driver for more hiring of women, because the female contribution is demonstrated, and because female executives may also tend to facilitate the entry of other female executives."

The incorporation of women from the company's owning family is an increasingly greater advancement in the new generations. At the time of foundation –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 (once the first decade has passed) it is 24.3% compared to 18.9% for 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 adds years of life, the female presence tends to consolidate, according to the study.

In any case, in a previous study, researchers Cristina Alvarado (UB) and Martin Euwema (KU Leuven) noted that "while family businesses may be better positioned to achieve higher levels of gender equality in leadership and contribute to sustainable development goals, there is still a gap to be closed and work must be done so that women can have equal opportunities and conditions to be future successors in leadership".

In this analysis, it was recalled that, in recent years, important changes have taken place. "There has been a transition from a traditional model in which the “natural” successor was the firstborn male, towards a more open and inclusive approach where the capabilities, motivation, and interest of women and other family members in these types of positions are considered". But the progress is not uniform and the presence of women in management positions is growing in general, but it varies greatly according to regions, cultures, and business contexts, the authors explained.

Reviewing history, in the first studies on the subject, in the late 80s and 90s, daughters often appeared as “invisible successors”. Over time, their recognition "as leaders of family businesses has increased, but the focus is shifting to a more qualitative and subjective challenge: how they build their identity and legitimacy as leaders within the family and before the professional team". In fact, "barriers persist for them, such as gender stereotypes, biases (sometimes unconscious), less access to mentorship/coaching and doubts about their authority on the part of family members or non-family employees".

Act in two areas

The study authors highlight that the role of the owning family is fundamental. "Inclusion in succession does not depend solely on company policies: the conduct of the business family, their identity, and their relationships have a direct impact on it. Therefore, it is essential to act in two areas: that of the business family and that of the family business".

Returning to the study promoted by the ASCEF, globally, across all sectors, the percentage of companies with more than 33% of women in management is higher for family businesses compared to non-family ones. The same is true for the percentage of companies with more than 50% of women in management for family businesses. By sector, 50% of family businesses in education, 48% in healthcare, and 45% in real estate have more than 33% of management positions held by women. In these same sectors, however, for non-family businesses, the percentages are lower.

If we consider the threshold of 50% of management positions held by women, the figures are more modest, but there is still a significant difference. 44% of family businesses in education, 42% of family businesses in healthcare, and 36% of real estate family businesses have more than 50% of management positions held by women. For non-family businesses in the same sectors, the percentages are lower. Thus, 23% of non-family businesses in education, 23% of non-family businesses in healthcare, and 17% of non-family real estate businesses have more than 50% of management positions held by women. Conversely, the sectors with the fewest women in management are information and communications, as well as the construction sector.

"The advancement of generations is also usually combined with a larger size of companies and higher professionalization, which favor the entry of women into management teams". When the company reaches the second or third generation, the potential number of successors increases. "Daughters and granddaughters tend to have higher academic and professional training, experience outside the company, and higher expectations of developing a management career. In parallel, succession processes become professionalized, and criteria for accessing leadership tend to be based more on competencies than on gender or male primogeniture", the study authors add.

Furthermore, the age of the company can also favor this evolution "because older companies tend to develop more formal governance structures, such as boards of directors, family protocols, or succession plans, where more women can be incorporated," explain Marqués and Álvarez. In any case, "more female presence does not necessarily imply full equality. It is necessary to distinguish between participating in the company, holding management positions, and having real influence in the governing bodies. Therefore, the challenge is to convert this quantitative presence into effective and recognized leadership," state the specialists.

Rosa Tous is the president of ASCEF and vice president of Tous, a large company that is an example of the feminization of senior positions, where she and her sisters joined in the 90s. In addition to Rosa, Alba is the president; Marta is responsible for the group's jewelry brand Suot Studio; and Laura is in charge of the family estate. “My parents were the pioneers of this business. They created it and brought the brand to very significant levels of notoriety. We shared the love for the work and the effort from a very young age. We have loved this brand and its people as long as we can remember. Therefore, the succession was not a difficult step. First, because it was progressive and they, although they are no longer in the business, are always available to give us the best advice. Second, because we knew the company well. With my sisters, what we have led is the internationalization and globalization of the brand. Regarding the third generation, Tous is now a one hundred percent professional company, with a brilliant and talented team and, therefore, the new generations will be able to choose their future with total freedom, whether or not it involves Tous.".

Other examples of female executives are:

Judith Viader

The CEO of Frit Ravich took over from her father, Josep Maria, the founder and president of the company, which in 2025 had a turnover of 359 million euros. The executive has turned the snack firm into a brand with national reach and also with an international presence.

Laura Erra

She has been the General Manager of Liquats Vegetals since 2016. She promoted the modernization and professionalization of the company founded in Viladrau by her father, Josep Maria. She currently leads the plant-based beverage market with brands such as Yosoy, among others, with sales of 95 million euros.

Sol Daurella

She is the main shareholder and president of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), the richest person in Catalonia. Granddaughter of the founder, Santiago Daurella, and daughter of Josep Daurella and Anna Maria Comadrán. As president of the company, she represents the family branch with the largest stake in the company's capital, with sales of 20.901 billion last year and a value of more than 40 billion on the stock market.

Gemma Grau

She leads the jewelry store that bears the family name, together with her brother Ricard, founded in 1947 in Lloret de Mar by the parents of the current owners, the Grau-Domènech couple. Sales exceeded 13 million in 2024.

Inka Guixà

CEO and vice president of La Farga Yourcoppersolutions, she took over from her father, Oriol, who is the president. The Guixà Fisas family controls the majority of the capital of this company, which has its origins 200 years ago and sales of more than 1.6 billion.

Ana Torres

She is the CEO and representative of the fifth generation of the family with the largest stake in the capital of the healthy and dietary food company Santiveri, founded in the 19th century and with sales of around 40 million.

Vanessa and Dènia Martínez

The two sisters, Vanessa as president and Dènia as vice-president, who took over the business after their father passed away, have driven the growth of Carinsa, a fragrance company for the detergent, home care, and personal care industry, as well as flavors for human and animal food, with sales of 66 million last year.

Eva Lluch

She is an owner and board member of the third generation of Lluch Essence, a global leader in the aromatic raw materials distribution sector, with sales of over 150 million last year.

Anna Sorli

She is the administrator of the supermarket chain that bears the family's surname and that has already surpassed its first century, in addition to being president of the Sorli Foundation and owner of the sustainable fashion firm Somia. Sorli's sales exceeded 290 million last year.

Mercè Girbau

A member of the third generation, and therefore the founder's granddaughter, she is the president of the industrial and commercial laundry company Girbau, which in 2025 recorded consolidated sales of approximately 200 million.

Anna Font

She is the commercial director of the Bon Preu chain, which is chaired by her father, Joan, and which last year had a turnover of 2.611 billion.

Mertixell Juvé

Representative of the fourth family generation, she is the CEO of the Juvé & Camps wineries, with sales of more than 27 million.

Andrea Carandell

The CEO of Benito Urban, the former Fundició Dúctil Benito, founded by her father, Joaquim, in 1992 in Manlleu, and a global leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of urban equipment and lighting for public spaces.