Women at work
We have a long tradition of being a great place for women to work. In 1911, we became one of the first companies to employ welfare workers responsible specifically for the women working for us. More recently we have been among the pioneers of flexible working practices such as job sharing, career breaks and term-time working. We continue to monitor the success of these practices and review their implementation across our organisation.
Women form about 80% of our customers and our workforce, so it makes sense for us to make Boots UK a better place for women to work.
At senior levels the proportion of women has increased to 39.4% over the past year (33.2% last year). We are pleased to see more women in senior roles to help us understand and work with our customers, to bring a different perspective to our leadership, and to open up senior jobs to a wider range of expertise. We'll continue to develop processes that will attract potential employees and build on our existing job share opportunities, ensuring our employment policies are leading edge in our marketplace.
Number of employees (as at 31st March 2009) - 70,890
Women employees

| Women employees as at 31st March 2009 |
| Men |
20.1% |
| Women |
79.9% |
Senior management positions

| Senior management positions as at 31st March 2009 |
| Men |
60.6% |
| Women |
39.4% |