Gender Representation in eCommerce: Who’s Leading at Every Level?

Gender diversity has been a hot topic in eCommerce for years, with many businesses aiming to close gaps and create truly inclusive workplaces. But what does the actual breakdown look like in 2025? We’ve taken a closer look at our latest eCommerce hiring data to see the gender makeup across different seniority levels - and the results tell an interesting story.

Junior Roles

Male: 33% | Female: 67%

Women are leading the way at the entry level, making up two-thirds of junior eCommerce positions. This could be a positive sign of increased female participation in the industry, particularly in areas like digital marketing, customer experience and merchandising. The key now is ensuring these women are supported to progress into mid- and senior-level roles. Otherwise, the pipeline may stall before it reaches leadership positions.

Mid-Level Roles

Male: 45% | Female: 53% | Prefer not to say: 2%

The gender split remains relatively balanced at mid-level, though the proportion of women begins to narrow slightly. This may be due to career breaks, reduced progression opportunities, or a lack of targeted mentorship for women in certain eCommerce specialisms, such as technical or operational roles. Employers should review internal promotion pathways and consider leadership development programmes that help retain and elevate this talent.

Senior Roles

Male: 57% | Female: 43%

Here’s where the shift becomes more noticeable. Men begin to outnumber women at the senior level. This could suggest that while entry-level diversity is strong, barriers remain for women looking to move into senior leadership. Possible contributing factors include unconscious bias in promotions, lack of flexible working at the senior level, or fewer visible female role models in top positions.

Director & C-Suite Roles

Male: 53% | Female: 47%

Interestingly, the gender split narrows again at the very top, with women making up almost half of Director and C-Suite positions. This could indicate that businesses are making more deliberate efforts to diversify their leadership teams - or that women who make it through the senior-level bottleneck are highly likely to reach top-tier positions. Either way, it’s a more promising statistic than many industries can claim.

Key Takeaways for eCommerce Employers

Support the progression pipeline – High female representation at junior level is a great start, but without structured career progression, the gender gap widens as seniority increases.

Review promotion and pay practices – Transparent criteria can help ensure progression is based on merit, not unconscious bias.

Offer leadership training early – Equip mid-level talent with leadership skills before they reach senior roles.

Maintain flexible policies at all levels – Flexible and remote work options shouldn’t disappear as employees climb the ladder.

Showcase diverse role models – Representation matters - seeing women in senior and C-Suite roles inspires the next generation.

Looking to hire eCommerce talent? At Cranberry Panda, our approach to eCommerce recruitment is unmatched - click below to get in touch with the team!