More agencies launching but fewer women are at the he...

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25 April 2023

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By Marc Shoffman

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More agencies launching but fewer women are at the helm

Just 8% of estate agencies launched last year were started by women, new research suggests.

Companies House data analysed by Instant Offices found 3,408 ‘real estate agencies’ were registered in 2022 - a 42% increase compared with 2021.

However, just 259 were launched with a female director - only 8% of last year’s total.

The research found the numbers also fell year-on-year.

In 2021, 377 estate agencies were launched by women among a total of 2,396 agencies, meaning 15% were led by females.

These findings support other studies such as the ‘Real Estate Balance Industry Survey’ released in February, which found the gender gap between middle management and senior leadership had not only persisted but worsened since their first survey in 2016.

John Williams, chief marketing officer at Instant Offices, added: “Research shows that 54% of small businesses, 64% of medium ones and 59% of large companies reported improved business outcomes when implementing initiatives to improve gender diversity.

“Studies have also shown women score higher than men in most leadership skills.”

Overall, the agencies started last year were predominantly launched across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Leicester, according to the research.