Food Industry Targeting Female Consumers... No Female Executives Present

Analysis of 10 Leading Companies
Average Ratio Only 0.8 out of 10 People
Some Companies Have None

Despite ESG Management Focus
"Breaking the Glass Ceiling Won't Be Easy"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seung-jin] Although domestic food conglomerates are emphasizing strengthening ESG (environmental, social, and governance) management, it has been revealed that a thick glass ceiling still exists internally. While women are a core consumer base, the proportion of female executives among all employees remains in the single digits, and some companies have no female executives at all.

‘Bulletproof Glass Ceiling’... Female Executive Ratio at 8%

Analysis of first-quarter reports posted on the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system on the 4th showed that the average proportion of female executives, including outside directors, among 10 leading domestic food companies was only 8%.

Companies such as Nongshim, Daesang, Ottogi, and Dongwon F&B have more female employees than male employees overall, but the proportion of male executives is overwhelmingly higher. At Daesang, there are 2,298 male employees and 2,485 female employees, but among them, there are only 34 male executives and 5 female executives. Ottogi has 1,062 male employees and 1,818 female employees, but among 11 executives, only one is female. Nongshim also has only one female executive among 35 executives. In the case of Dongwon F&B, out of about 3,000 employees, 1,930 are women, more than 800 more than men, but all 20 executives are male.

Among the top 10 food companies, only CJ CheilJedang had a female executive ratio exceeding 20%. Out of 99 executives, 23 were female, accounting for about 23%. The overall male-to-female ratio among employees is 5 to 2, with more male employees, so the executive composition showed a similar ratio. CJ CheilJedang appointed its first female inside director in March to strengthen ESG management.

ESG Management Is a Key Issue... But Expanding Female Executives Is Not Easy

The food industry has traditionally shown a particularly conservative corporate culture. Since sales competition on the ground directly translates into revenue, the influence of sales positions within the company has been significant, and due to the rough nature of sales work, most employees have been male, naturally leading to a male-centered corporate culture.

While expanding female talent is necessary to receive good ratings in ESG management evaluations, industry insiders explain that it will take considerable time before the glass ceiling is broken in this atmosphere.

An official from a food company said, "Most factory workers and supermarket promoters are women, so the proportion of women among all employees appears high, but their influence is relatively low."

Although there is agreement on the need to expand female executives, some opinions suggest it will not be easy to achieve in the short term. A representative from Company B said, "To target women, who are a core consumer base, there is an internal atmosphere that the voices of female employees are important, and sales and marketing activities are also shifting online, increasing the role of female employees. However, among about 60 department heads, only one is female, so it will be difficult to significantly increase the proportion of female executives within the next five years."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.