Number of paid, full-time, female management employees (managers) at the organization as of the end of the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote how their organization defines management levels. See usage guidance for further information.
This metric is intended to capture the number of unique, individual female managers employed by the organization in full-time roles as of the end of the reporting period. This metric excludes Temporary Employees (OI9028).
Organizations can refer to the glossary for additional guidance on defining management. The composition of management varies with an organization’s stage and type, but managers are generally responsible for setting objectives (defining goals for the group and deciding what work must be done to meet those goals), organizing (dividing work into manageable activities and selecting the right people to accomplish them), motivating and communicating (creating a team out of individuals through decisions on pay, promotion, and communications), measuring (establishing targets and interpreting and analyzing performance), and developing people.
Organizations are also encouraged to footnote if the number reported for this metric includes any female managers in the following positions: Chief Executive Officer or President, Chief Operating Officer, or Chief Financial Officer.
To report in line with 2X Challenge requirements, organizations must disaggregate by number of full-time female employees at the Senior Management level using the 2X definition: C-Suite or equivalent (e.g., Managing Directors, Partners). As titles may vary with organizational size and stage, some judgement is required.
This metric is multi-dimensional with regard to the five dimensions of impact: it may help describe the WHO dimension when the stakeholder group represented by the metric is the stakeholder group targeted by the investment or organization. It may also help measure the HOW MUCH Scale dimension, which helps estimate the number of the targeted stakeholders experiencing the outcome. For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact (https://iris.thegiin.org/document/iris-and-the-five-dimensions/). No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
This is a submetric of Full-time Employees: Total (OI3160), which has 7 other related submetrics.
Metrics identified as "cross-category" are those that are relevant to any IRIS+ Impact Category or Impact Theme (i.e., these metrics are not specific to any particular industry/category or theme).
Full-time Employees: Female Managers (OI1571) is required for Joint Impact Indicator: Number of Women in Senior Management.
JII definition: Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) female employees in senior management roles working for the client company or project at the end of the reporting period. Senior management is generally a team of individuals at the highest level of organizational management (usually executive level positions) who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a company or corporation. They are often referred to as the “C-suite” and include positions such as Chief Executive Officer – CEO; Chief Financial Officer – CFO; Chief Marketing Officer – CMO; Chief Operations Officer – COO; Chief Information Officer – CIO; Chief Legal Counsel – CLC, etc. Within different corporations, they can also sometimes be referred to as executive management, top management, or upper management.
JII guidance: This metric is intended to capture female representation in Senior Management. Practitioners will need to collect "Total Number of Senior Managers" to get a percentage. Female Senior Managers may also hold ownership stakes or Board or Investment Committee positions in the organization. As such, Practitioners should avoid double-counting women who fill multiple roles within an organization by not aggregating HIPSO's "Number of Women in Senior Management" with "Number of Women on the Board", "Number of Investment Committee members who are female", or "Female Direct Jobs Supported (Operations and Maintenance)". Practitioners may also refer to sector-specific gender leadership benchmarks and application guidance as needed, such as those specified by the 2X Challenge (www.2xchallenge.org).
JII applicability: All client companies, where relevant. Practitioners may use the metric for investment fund investees, where relevant, but typically not used for clients of other intermediated finance (e.g. commercial banks).
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revisions to definition and usage guidance for clarity.
January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
No change.
May 2019 - IRIS v5.0 Released
No change.
March 2016 - IRIS v4.0 Released
No change.
March 2014 - IRIS v3.0 Released
Immaterial change. Minor revision to definition language for clarity.
November 2011 - IRIS v2.2 Released
No change.
February 2011 - IRIS v2.1 Released
No change.
September 2010 - IRIS v2.0 Released
Material change. Full-time Employees: Female Managers (OI1571) replaced Full-time: Skilled Employees - Female (OE5.1.1). Metric name and definition language modified to clarify desired occupational status of target employees.
September 2009 - IRIS v1.0 Released
New metric. Full-time: Skilled Employees - Female (OES1.1) was developed via the Original IRIS Working Group.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).