The quants gender divide
A lack of females in the financial industry has long been an issue, and the quantitative finance sector is no stranger to this. In fact, quantitative finance is rated as one of the top-three financial sectors with the least amount of female representation at just 21%; behind Trading and IT.
In fact, the number of women working in computer science-related professions has actually decreased since the 1990’s dropping from 35% to below 25% in the last 15 years. This decline presents a commercial risk to organizations. Studies by Catalyst show that Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of female board directors attained significantly higher financial performance on average than those with the lowest female representation on the board. Their report stated that, on average, companies with the highest percentage of female board directors outperformed those with the least by 53% based on return on equity, 42% based on return on sales, and 66% based on return on invested capital. Financial firms need to invest in diversifying their top talent to remain competitive.
How to improve gender diversity in quants
So what is the root of this decline and what can be done to improve the attraction and retention of quants talent in financial services? Our guide highlights data and interview responses from industry-leading female quant talent, as well as recommendations for addressing diversity challenges in the quants industry. The Women in Quants report makes top recommendations that include:
•What quants can learn from life sciences
•How 'real' diversification impacts the bottom line
•How to implement successful recruitment practices
Complete the from below to download our guide to learn more from industry leaders about strategies to attract and retain diverse quants talent.