Asia remains global leader for female representation in PE

There were also substantial increases in female representation at firms based in Europe and North America - the former went from 9.7% in 2014 to 12.4% in 2015, while the latter jumped from 11% to 13.7%. The rest of the world increase was smaller, with the proportion of women in senior roles coming in at 11.1%, up from 10% last year.

The data, produced by Preqin, come at a time when the US venture capital industry is gripped by Ellen Pao's gender discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Whether or not Pao's claims reflect broader attitudes, women do not appear to be underrepresented compared to other asset classes. Females account for 14.8% of senior employees at VC firms globally, up from 11.2% in 2014 and 2013.

Buyout firms remain in last place on 10.5% - still a marked improvement on the 9% posted in 2014 - trailing real estate on 13.6% and infrastructure on 14%.

Strong female representation in venture capital should come as little surprise in an Asian context. In China, for example, a number of women hold senior roles. Jenny Lee, a managing partner at GGV Capital who set up the firm's China operation in 2005, puts this down to getting in early.

"I started on the ground earlier than anybody else in China, so I compete on an equal level and this allows me to perform well," she told AVCJ in January. "If I entered the US market 10 years ago, coming up against venture capitalists operating in a market with 50 years of history, I would struggle to compete even if my performance was outstanding."

Asked to outline the challenges women face establishing themselves in the industry, the feedback industry players gave was much the same as for private equity - and consistent with previous years. Unpredictable hiring processes, work-life balance, and the presumption that female employees are likely to sacrifice job performance in order to care for children at home were all mentioned.

According to Preqin, bigger firms tend to employ more women in senior roles, which may reflect more sophisticated and proactive HR departments as well as a broader-minded outlook among industry leaders. At firms with more than 20 employees, female representation in the senior ranks is 13.9%, up from 11.9% in 2014. This compares to 9.7% for firms with fewer than five staff.

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