Women on Boards of Directors: A Global Snapshot
20 Pages Posted: 18 Feb 2011
Date Written: February 16, 2011
Abstract
Since my books on the role of women appeared, in 2007 and in 2010, the participation by women in corporate governance has become a front page issue in many European nations, including Norway, Spain, and France, which have adopted quota laws, and in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, which may soon do the same. By contrast, Germany and the United Kingdom are staunchly opposed to any such incursions into their governance regimes. On the other side of the world, the issue of women in governance has moved from the back to the front burner in just the last year, as organizations in countries such as Australia have inaugurated new programs which have shown great success. By way of further contrast, progress on issue in the U.S. has been largely dormant from 2004, or earlier, with the exception of little-noted SEC disclosure regulations taking effect in 2010. This article reviews the comparative statistics and categorizes the types of programs being implemented around the world.
Keywords: Corporate Governance, Governance, Board Composition, Board of Directors, Women and the Law, Gender and the Law, Directors, Women Directors, Women's Studies, Feminist Jurisprudence
JEL Classification: G39, K22, M14
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation