Female Employees Stay Longer and Earn 112 Million Won on Average—This Bank Tops the 2026 Gender Equality Index in Finance

Key Factors Determining Financial Sector Rankings
Woori Bank Takes Top Spot Among 137 Companies With 61.75 Points
Samsung Securities Jumps 8 Places to Second: Excels in Both "Employment" and "Compensation"
K Bank Drops 17 Places: Lack of Female B

Editor's NoteNumbers gain power the moment they are made public. Since parental leave utilization rates have been disclosed beginning last year, the number of companies where male usage lingered in the single digits has nearly halved in just one year. The backdrop for this year’s total fertility rate approaching the 0.9 mark for the first time in seven years also lies in such changes in the workplace. Marking its 11th year, the Asia Gender Equality Index has analyzed data from 137 companies along with voices from the field to reveal both the progress and limitations in our workplaces. Transparent data is reshaping the workplace, and workplace innovation is becoming the solution to low birth rates. The Asia Gender Equality Index serves as both a measure of this change and a driving force urging it forward.

Woori Bank headquarters located at 51 Sogong-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul. Woori Bank

The face of gender equality rankings in the financial sector has changed. Woori Bank climbed two spots from third place last year to claim the overall top position, while Samsung Securities made the biggest leap, jumping eight places to second. Hana Card, last year's top-ranked financial institution, fell to eighth place. As securities firms entered the traditionally bank- and card-dominated top ranks, and with insurance companies also making strides, the competition among different sectors has become even fiercer.

In this year's Asia Gender Equality Index, Woori Bank received the highest total score among 37 surveyed financial companies, with 61.75 points. Samsung Securities followed closely at 61.5 points, just 0.25 points behind. Shinhan Card and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance tied for third with 59.5 points each, while Samsung Life Insurance ranked fifth at 59 points. Meritz Securities placed sixth with 56 points. Across all 137 organizations included in the survey, Woori Bank and Samsung Securities also ranked first and second, respectively.

Woori Bank's strength came from consistent performance rather than excelling in any single evaluation category. The scores were: employment 15.75, compensation 16, development 9, work-life balance 15, and others 6. The development score of 9 was the joint highest in the financial sector, alongside Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Samsung Life Insurance. The proportion of women among non-registered executives rose to 19.1%, and the proportion of female outside directors was 50%. Woori Bank also received a score of 15 in the work-life balance category, which evaluates parental leave and flexible work. These results propelled the bank from third place last year to first this year.

The data also confirm that Woori Bank is a company where women work for extended periods. Last year, the average years of service for female employees was 1.2 times (122.8%) that of male employees, surpassing men for the first time in 2023. Over the past five years, the ratio of women's average salary to men's also rose from 78.2% to 83.6%, with the average annual salary for female employees reaching 112 million won. The male parental leave utilization rate at Woori Bank was 15.8%, well above the financial sector average of 9%, making it the highest among commercial banks. A Woori Bank official remarked, "Woori Bank is an official supporter of the UN Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and is dedicated to strengthening the foundation for female talent development and upholding ESG management. We host an annual group women leaders' networking day and provide communication programs and lectures for female employees, among other efforts to cultivate female talent."

Samsung Securities saw a particularly steep climb compared to last year, jumping from tied for tenth to second, an eight-rank jump. The company scored 22.75 points in the employment category, placing it among the very top of the financial sector. It performed well not only in hiring women but also in ensuring job stability for those women. As of last year, Samsung Securities was the only one of the 37 financial firms to have a female internal director, further boosting its score.

In terms of compensation, efforts toward gender equality were also evident. The ratio of women's to men's salaries at Samsung Securities grew for five consecutive years, from 65.2% in 2021 to 72.5% last year. During the same period, the average length of service for women rose from 87.4% to 94.4% of the men's average. Last year, the average annual salary for female employees was about 139 million won, ranking among the top five financial institutions. For the “regularization rate of female employees” (the ratio of regular female employees to regular male employees), Samsung Securities scored a perfect 107.5%, actually surpassing men. A company representative said, "By monitoring the gender pay ratio, we make sure there is no unjust discrimination in compensation. Last year, we also revised our articles of association related to the board and committees to ensure that no board is comprised solely of one gender, thus promoting gender equality."

Looking at Performance by Sector... Most Top Spots Have Changed

Most sector leaders have also changed. In banking, Kookmin Bank followed top-ranked Woori Bank with 55.75 points (7th overall), and iM Bank took third with 53.5 points (10th overall). Shinhan Bank (52.75 points) and Hana Bank (51.75 points) rounded out the top banks.

In the securities industry, Samsung Securities dominated with 61.5 points. This was followed by Meritz Securities (56 points), Shinhan Investment Corp. (54 points), NH Investment & Securities (52.75 points), and Daishin Securities (51.5 points). Meritz Securities received the highest score across all financial firms in the employment category, with 25.25 points. The proportion of women among regular employees surpassed 50% at 51.6%, and over the past five years, the proportion of female employees increased by 5.5 percentage points. Daishin Securities jumped 14 spots in the overall ranking, entering the top 15.

In insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance rose nine spots from last year to take third place overall and the top position among insurers. It posted strong scores: employment 18.75, development 9, and work-life balance 13.75. The proportion of female outside directors was high, and women comprised about 17% of non-registered executives. Samsung Life Insurance placed second among insurers with 59 points, trailing by only 0.5 points, and ranked fifth overall.

The card industry saw significant shifts. Shinhan Card jumped five places from eighth to tie for third overall, becoming the top card company. In the employment category, it scored 20.75 points, and in the compensation category, it received the highest score among 37 financial firms with 18 points. The women’s average salary equaled 92.3% of men’s, ranking highest in the sector.

In contrast, Hana Card, which topped the entire financial sector last year, saw its score drop from 61.25 to 54, falling to eighth overall and second among card companies. Its overall parental leave utilization rate plunged by 20 percentage points from 61% in 2024 to 41% last year, contributing to the drop in some indicators.

Samsung Card jumped 13 places, moving from 23rd last year to tied for 10th, and Woori Card advanced seven places. In contrast, Hyundai Card fell 12 ranks to settle at 21st. Whereas top spots were once dominated by card companies, now they are shared with securities and insurance companies as well.

Even with Excellent Work-Life Balance, a Male-Dominated Board Lowers Rankings

The lower ranks also showed some commonalities, mirroring the changes at the top. DB Insurance came in last among 37 financial companies, scoring 36.25 points. The company earned 13.75 points in employment and 11 points in compensation, but only 3 in development and 4.5 in work-life balance. Women represented just 1.8% of non-registered executives, and there were no female internal directors at all.

K Bank also suffered a steep drop, plummeting from sixth place last year to 23rd this year, a 17-step drop. The bank posted relatively high scores in female employment (18.25 points) and work-life balance (15.5 points), but earned only 2 points for development. As of the end of last year, it had no female internal or external board members. This shows that even if an organization actively hires women or provides parental support, it is now difficult to achieve a high overall score unless women are present at the executive and board levels.

Some financial companies released data on parental leave for the first time this year. Korea Investment & Securities and Kwangju Bank, which did not disclose these figures last year, included parental leave statistics in this year's business reports. Kwangju Bank recorded the highest overall parental leave usage rate among the 37 financial firms at 88.8%. However, while the women's rate was 100%, the men’s rate was just 6%, revealing a marked gender gap. Korea Investment & Securities also reported an overall parental leave rate of 42.5%, but a male usage rate of 0%. This highlights that simply having such systems in place or reporting overall usage rates does not fully describe the state of gender equality.

Women already make up an average of 49.3% of the regular workforce in the financial sector, close to half. Ultimately, this year’s financial sector rankings were not determined solely by “how many women were hired.” Rather, the deciding factors were how long female employees stayed, whether they received compensation similar to their male counterparts, and whether they were able to advance into executive and board positions. The larger fluctuations in rankings compared to last year indicate that the focus of gender equality evaluation is shifting from the scale of hiring to the development pathways and decision-making participation within organizations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.