Women in the Sales Industry

Last summer, the team at LinkedIn conducted a workforce diversity data study that led to questions about the disproportionate number of women in certain industries and certain job roles. One of the areas they focused on was how the number of women in the sales industry has changed over the last decade – and the numbers may surprise you.

The Sales Gender Gap

According to the study, women currently represent 41 percent of the active workforce, a four percent increase from 10 years ago. However, women in sales only increased three percent overall, from 36 to 39 percent.  While the percentages of women in sales has increased slightly over the years, something changes when you climb higher up the ladder.  The smallest percentage of women in sales are found at the Vice President level and in the Executive Suite.

Interestingly, industry also plays a role in the number of women found in sales positions. The industries with the highest percentages of women in sales positions are healthcare and big pharma, and the industries with the lowest number of women in sales positions were technology and hardware.

The gender disparity research was released alongside insights from professionals that LinkedIn identified as the top women in sales today including Jill Konrath, Jill Rowley, Trish Bertuzzi, Lori Richardson, Josiane Feigon, Barb Giamanco and Joanne Black.  The research team was so taken with the study and its resulting discussions about the gender gap in sales and other industries that it created a group called Women at LinkedIn (W@LI), in an effort to make positive changes. Additionally, they encourage women on LinkedIn to join the LinkedIn Sales Solutions Group and to use the hashtag #WomenInSales on Twitter to help keep the focus on women in sales.

You can view the study data in infographic form here.

Are You a Female Sales Professional?

If you are a professional woman in the sales field and you are seeking new opportunities in the enterprise software sector, the recruiters at Strategic Search Solutions would love to open a conversation with you. We are always on the lookout for high-performers in a variety of enterprise software fields, and we are currently recruiting for:

  • Sales Representatives
  • Major Account Sales Executives
  • Global/National Account Managers
  • Vice President of Sales
  • Regional Vice Presidents
  • District/Area Sales Managers
  • System Engineers/Pre-Sales/Solutions Architects
  • Business Development
  • Channel Sales
  • OEM/ISV/Alliance Directors

Since 2002, our recruiters have connected top sales talent and sales managers with leading software companies across the country. Our mission is to provide the most professional and efficient recruiting experience for all of our candidates, and we make your success our highest priority.  Whether you are looking to make a lateral move, or you’re hoping to climb the next rung of the ladder, contact our recruiting team for more information about our process today.

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