Just four out of every hundred equities traders in the City are women, according to what is claimed to be the first big diversity study focused on the Square Mile.
Only 5 per cent of all commodities staff are female, according to Alexander Mann Financial Markets, the City’s largest executive search firm. The research suggests that women are still under- represented, despite a series of diversity initiatives at the big financial institutions.
The study comes as six women bankers at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, the investment bank, launched a $1.4 billion (£800 million) lawsuit in New York alleging sex discrimination.
Women are better represented in newer markets, such as credit, as opposed to traditional markets, such as commodities or foreign exchange.
Alexander Mann said that almost 30 per cent of researchers within the credit markets are women, yet they make up just 13 per cent of all equity analysts. A woman is more likely to be found on a sales desk than a trading desk.