In this follow-up to our 2020 study, we find that more women are working in the alternatives industry now than one year ago. At the close of 2020, just over a fifth (20.3%) of the industry’s employees were female, up from 19.7% at the end of 2019. Venture capital had the highest female representation in the workforce, at 21.8%, up 62bps on the previous year.

Although these figures represent real gains, the proportion of women who make it to the senior ranks remains small, at just 12.2%. What is holding women back in the alternatives space? And, more importantly, how is the industry working to address this?

Here's what we found:

• Female representation in junior positions in the alternative assets industry is 31.5%, significantly higher than for mid-level (23.7%) and senior (12.2%) positions
• The venture capital industry has the largest proportion of women in senior roles across all asset classes, at 13.7%
• Asian real estate firms have the lowest regional concentration of female employees of any alternative asset class, at 16.6%

Our new Women in Alternative Assets report aims to improve transparency and boost the conversation around this important topic. Drawing on our database of over 200,000 industry professionals, the report highlights the trends in the workforces of active fund managers and investors across private equity, venture capital, private debt, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, and natural resources.

Download the report to find out which regions and asset classes are making the most progress, and to hear from some inspiring women on what the alternatives industry can do to support female employees.