How Much Do Female Consultants Earn? Personality Traits and Characteristics of People Suited for Consulting

“Is it really tough for women to become consultants?” “What are the traits of women who are suited for consulting?” — do you find yourself wondering about these questions?

This article helps answer those questions by covering the following topics:

• The working environment and salaries of female consultants
• The merits and demerits of working as a female consultant
• Skills commonly required of consultants
• Gender equality initiatives by major consulting firms
• Checklist items for job hunting

This article is useful for women interested in pursuing a career in consulting. Please read to the end.

The Working Environment for Female Consultants

Here we explain the gender ratio in the consulting industry.

The Reality of “Women” Being Underrepresented in the Consulting Industry

On the internet and elsewhere, the term “male consultant” is rarely seen, yet terms like “female consultant” and “consulting woman” appear frequently.

This is largely due to the gender gap that exists in the industry. To put it plainly, the consulting industry is predominantly male, and the number of women working as consultants is small.

As a result, terms like “female consultant” and “consulting woman” are often used with a nuance of “it’s unusual for a woman to work as a consultant.”

Gender Ratio in the Consulting Industry

According to a survey by “type Women’s Career Agent,” a service operated by Career Design Center Co., Ltd., the percentage of women with consulting experience among users of the service was 16.0% as of 2017.

By 2022, the female ratio had risen to 29.7% — an increase over five years — yet a gender gap remains.

On the website of major consulting firm Accenture, as of May 2026, the proportion of female employees is stated as 39.3%, and the proportion of female managers as 21.9%.

Of course, this is not limited to the consulting industry — a persistent gender gap exists across many industries and fields.

Salaries of Female Consultants

According to the Fiscal Year 2025 “Basic Survey on Wage Structure,” the average annual salary for consultants is approximately 11.34 million yen. Of that, the average for men is approximately 12.45 million yen, while the average for women is approximately 8.51 million yen.

This shows that a gender gap exists in average consultant salaries.

Reasons for the income disparity between men and women include the low number of female executives and the difficulty women face in continuing their careers due to childcare-related leave.

According to the National Tax Agency website, the overall average salary is 4.78 million yen, with men averaging 5.87 million yen and women averaging 3.33 million yen. In other words, the salary gap is not limited to the consulting industry — it exists across the board.

Reference: National Tax Agency, “2024 Survey on Private Sector Wage Statistics“

Merits of Working as a Female Consultant

So, are there merits for women working in a consulting industry with such a gender gap?

Career Evaluation Improves

The consulting industry is a leading field for developing high-level business skills.

Through interactions with clients, you can cultivate customer service skills, communication skills, presentation skills, and logical thinking ability.

Building a career in such an industry makes it easier to gain recognition as a business professional.

As a result, consulting experience often works in your favor during job hunting, and you’re more likely to earn the trust of those around you.

Achieve a Highly Flexible Work Style

Consultants typically work on a project basis, meaning they work in the most optimal way according to the project’s needs rather than at a fixed location or time.

In recent years, many consulting firms have adopted flex-time systems and remote work. This means a work environment that makes it easier to balance career and personal life — including events like childbirth, childcare, and caregiving — is becoming more common.

Additionally, more companies are focusing on promoting women’s participation in the workforce, reviewing benefits for all employees — regardless of gender — such as making parental leave easier to take.

Involvement in Solving Gender-Related Social Issues

In Japan and many other societies, a male-centered social system known as “patriarchy” has been established.

Attitudes such as “men work outside the home, women do housework” remain deeply rooted, and income disparities based on gender persist — driving growing calls in recent years for improvements to various gender issues.

Addressing these gender issues requires perspectives from those who are often marginalized — women, sexual minorities, people with disabilities, foreign nationals, and others. This is because gender issues are produced by the intersection of various social structures, not gender alone.

Therefore, a woman’s perspective is one of the important viewpoints for improving gender gaps within companies and for handling gender-related projects.

Easier to Aim for High Income

Working at a consulting firm makes it easier to pursue a high income.

As mentioned earlier, while the average salary for men in fiscal year 2023 was 5.69 million yen, the average for women was 3.16 million yen.

However, the average salary for women working as consultants is approximately 6 million yen, suggesting the possibility of earning significantly more than the overall average.

For those aiming to increase their income, it is important to raise your professional value by improving your skills and obtaining relevant certifications.

Demerits of Working as a Female Consultant

We’ve covered the merits of women working as consultants. Are there any demerits?

Difficulty Maintaining Work-Life Balance

One demerit of women working as consultants is the difficulty of maintaining work-life balance — a state in which career and personal life are well-balanced.

In the client-driven consulting industry, long working hours to accommodate clients’ schedules or traveling to clients’ locations are not uncommon, and demanding work is frequently required.

During particularly busy periods, balancing work with personal life can be challenging, and many people find it difficult to maintain work-life balance.

Constant Need to Gather the Latest Information

Consultants provide support to help clients address their challenges.

To propose the best solutions, consultants must continually gather information on industry trends and the latest digital and IT technologies relevant to their clients.

Setting aside time every day to absorb new information is necessary, and some people find this burdensome. Those who are not good at proactively gathering information with a growth mindset may find consulting is not the right fit.

A Lot of Unglamorous, Routine Work

Many people imagine consulting as “a job that requires creative ideas” or “a constantly stimulating environment,” but the reality involves a great deal of routine work, and many people feel disappointed by the gap between expectation and reality.

Especially during the early stages of a career, rather than being actively involved in projects, much of the work involves document preparation, data organization, routine meetings, and assisting senior employees.

Skills Commonly Required of Consultants

Here we introduce the skills commonly required of consultants.

Logical Thinking (Logical Thinking Skills)

Logical thinking refers to the skill of accurately grasping given information and drawing conclusions through a structured, step-by-step approach.

This skill is essential for working as a consultant. The primary work of a consultant is to identify clients’ challenges and propose optimal solutions through a logical process.

Analytical frameworks such as “4C Analysis,” “SWOT Analysis,” “Five Forces Analysis,” and “PEST Analysis” are frequently used, and logical thinking is always required.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking refers to the skill of examining things and information critically, without being bound by existing values.

Consultants not only need to make proposals that lead to problem-solving, but also need to identify challenges in a client’s operations. By analyzing the current situation critically for potential issues, problems can be identified efficiently.

Additionally, critical verification of proposed ideas and collected data to check for any flaws is also required.

Presentation Skills

Presentation skills refer to the ability to explain things clearly to an audience, such as clients.

Without sufficient presentation skills, even excellent proposals can be difficult to convey, making it hard to receive proper recognition.

When presenting, it is important not to simply deliver your message one-sidedly, but to read the audience’s reactions and adjust your explanations flexibly as you go.

Analytical Skills

Analytical skills refer to the ability to extract necessary data from large datasets and use that data to form hypotheses and develop strategies.

Proposals based on unsubstantiated hypotheses will not convince clients.

Consultants must always operate on a “fact-based” approach. For example, rather than a vague statement like “there is a problem with the workflow,” a specific figure must be presented, such as “there is a problem with XX in the workflow, resulting in a cost loss of △%.”

In recent years, a variety of analytical software and apps have emerged, and the ability to make effective use of such tools is also important.

Communication Skills

In client-driven consulting work, communication skills play a critical role.

Communication skills here do not simply mean the ability to converse with others, but rather the skill of understanding the intentions of others (clients and project members) and conveying information to them in an easy-to-understand way.

Even if the content of a proposal is excellent, using language that the other party cannot understand will prevent you from receiving fair recognition. By communicating clearly from the other person’s perspective, smooth communication can be achieved.

Problem-Solving Ability

Problem-solving ability could be called the essence of consulting work. Simply put, it refers to the ability to develop optimal solutions for complex problems.

Through accumulated consulting experience, problem-solving ability naturally develops. However, those aiming to become consultants without prior experience need to consciously work on strengthening this ability.

Consider what is important for effectively solving problems — such as how to define the problem and which frameworks to use to work toward its resolution.

Gender Equality Initiatives by Major Consulting Firms

Here we introduce examples of initiatives being undertaken by major consulting firms to achieve gender equality.

Accenture

Accenture Japan Ltd. (hereinafter “Accenture”) is a global consulting firm with offices in more than 200 cities worldwide.

The company aims to create an environment where women can work comfortably. It recognizes as a challenge the low proportion of women in senior positions and the resulting gender pay gap.

In response, Accenture launched “Japan Women’s Initiatives (now: Gender Equality Committee)” in 2006 and has been working on strengthening the recruitment of female employees and developing female leaders.

IBM Japan

IBM Japan, Ltd. (hereinafter “IBM Japan”) is the Japanese subsidiary of US-based IBM. It has earned high praise for its technological capabilities, including introducing cutting-edge American technologies such as blockchain to Japanese clients.

IBM Japan has achieved the third level of the “Eruboshi Certification,” a certification granted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to companies that actively promote women’s participation in the workforce.

In 1998, the company established “Japan Women’s Council (JWC)” to promote women in leadership positions, and reports that the proportion of working mothers in management-level positions has increased significantly.

Nomura Research Institute

Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (hereinafter “NRI”) is a think tank-based consulting firm headquartered in Tokyo.

NRI is committed to promoting Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and aims to create a workplace where employees from diverse backgrounds can thrive.

For female employees, the project “NRI Women’s Network (NWN),” established in fiscal year 2008, focuses on three pillars: “support for women’s career development,” “balancing work and childcare,” and “cultivating corporate culture.”

ABeam Consulting

ABeam Consulting Ltd. (hereinafter “ABeam”) is a comprehensive consulting firm of Japanese origin. It provides services in collaboration with alliance partners around the world, aiming to become Asia’s No. 1 consulting firm.

ABeam has set specific targets for the proportion of women among all employees and in management positions as KPIs for promoting women’s participation.

Furthermore, without being bound by the conventional notion that women are the primary caregivers, the company promotes paternity leave for men, resulting in a male parental leave rate of 49.2%.

McKinsey & Company

McKinsey & Company, Inc. Japan (hereinafter “McKinsey”) is a US-headquartered global consulting firm. Its Tokyo office was established in 1971 as an Asian base.

McKinsey has conducted research on women’s participation and its impact on business over the past decade.

Specifically, the firm has implemented a wide range of initiatives, including building a parental leave system accessible regardless of gender, developing diverse leaders, conducting unconscious bias training, and expanding sponsorship programs for women.

Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group (hereinafter “BCG”) is a US-headquartered global consulting firm founded in 1963.

BCG has strengthened its efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion, actively recruiting a wide range of talent with different gender identities, sexual orientations, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences. It also participates in the “Gender and Diversity KPI Alliance” and has set KPIs for measuring gender and diversity. The firm’s “Apprenticeship in Action” initiative — focused on recruiting and developing women — was recognized with the “2018 Catalyst Award.”

Bain & Company

Bain & Company (hereinafter “Bain”) is a US-based global consulting firm. Its Tokyo office was established in 1981.

Bain promotes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and values diversity in hiring.

Through its affinity group “Women at Bain,” the firm offers mentorship programs and other initiatives for female employees and employees of diverse gender identities, including non-binary individuals.

As of December 31, 2022, the parental leave utilization rate for eligible female employees was 100%, and for eligible male employees was 80%.

Checklist for Women Pursuing a Career Change into Consulting

Here we present checklist items that women aiming for a career change into consulting should review during the job search process.

What Is the State of Gender Balance?

First, check the gender balance of the consulting firm you are targeting.

Gender balance here refers to the proportion of employees by gender identity, including men, women, and sexual minorities.

Looking at the proportion of female employees can help you predict “whether it is a comfortable environment for women” and “whether the company culture supports women’s advancement.”

For example, a company with a high number of female employees is more likely to be actively recruiting women and working to create an environment where diverse people — including women — can thrive.

Are Employee Benefits Well Established?

Employee benefits are an important checkpoint when working at a consulting firm.

Specifically, it is a good idea to check for maternity/paternity leave, remote work options, flex-time systems, and shorter working hours.

Additionally, many women suffer from severe menstrual pain. In such cases, it is also recommended to check whether the environment makes it easy to take menstrual leave.

Incidentally, foreign-affiliated consulting firms often approach diversity from a global standard and tend to have well-established benefits.

Is the Evaluation System Free of Gender Bias?

When changing careers to consulting, it is worth researching the evaluation systems of prospective employers.

In recent years, consulting firms where gender affects evaluations are rarely seen, and most companies implement performance-based assessments.

However, since women are more likely to be affected by life events such as pregnancy and childcare, the proportion of women in leadership positions tends to be low.

Therefore, for those aiming for future advancement, it is important to check whether the company provides leadership development programs specifically for female employees.

Is Consulting Work Suited to You?

Before making a career change, make sure to assess whether consulting work is actually suited to you. Consulting demands speed, high-level business skills, and a strong drive for self-improvement — and it may not be the right fit for everyone.

Consulting work spans a wide range of tasks, from routine work such as document preparation and data entry to creative work such as proposing solutions to clients.

Traits of People Suited for Consulting

Here we introduce the traits of people who are suited for consulting.

Strong Communication Skills

People who are good at communication are well-suited to consulting.

Communication skills are essential in consulting work. You’ll share project updates with team members and conduct client interviews to understand their current situations.

Those who prefer working alone or find communication challenging may find their strengths lie in another field.

Physical Stamina

Physical stamina is another trait of people suited for consulting.

Consulting work is demanding, and physical toughness is required. For example, you may need to work on weekends to accommodate a client’s schedule, and the ability to maintain your condition in such situations is expected.

Furthermore, since consulting involves significant responsibility, mental resilience is just as important as physical stamina.

Curiosity and a Strong Drive for Self-Improvement

People who are naturally curious and eager to learn new things, or who constantly want to improve their skills and knowledge, are well-suited for consulting.

Consultants frequently need to gather the latest information. Curious and ambitious individuals can engage in this kind of information gathering proactively.

Without proactiveness, it becomes harder to develop business skills and receive recognition as a consultant.

Proficiency in English

English proficiency is in high demand in the consulting industry.

Today, many companies operate on a global scale, creating opportunities to interact with international clients.

English proficiency allows you to take on overseas projects as a global professional. In fact, many consultants have studied abroad or are returnees from overseas.

Ability to See Things from Others’ Perspectives

People who can see things from others’ perspectives are well-suited for consulting.

Consultants need to understand clients’ needs through communication. Without the ability to put yourself in others’ shoes, it is impossible to make proposals that truly address clients’ needs.

People with strong empathy, or those who are frequently sought out for advice, are likely well-suited for consulting.

Conclusion

In this article, we explained the working environment and salaries of female consultants, gender equality initiatives by major consulting firms, and checklist items for job hunting.

The consulting industry has a gender gap, and many people have the impression that it is difficult for women to become consultants.

However, in recent years, more and more companies are actively working toward gender equality, and it can be said that a more supportive working environment than before is now in place.

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