Women on Boards of Directors: A Global Snapshot

20 Pages Posted: 18 Feb 2011

See all articles by Douglas M. Branson

Douglas M. Branson

University of Pittsburgh - School of Law (Emeritus)

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

Branson, Douglas, Women on Boards of Directors: A Global Snapshot (February 16, 2011). University of Pittsburgh Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2011-05, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1762615

Douglas Branson (Contact Author)

University of Pittsburgh - School of Law (Emeritus) ( email )

3900 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
United States
412-624-3437 (Phone)

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
869
Abstract Views
3,986
Rank
51,102
PlumX Metrics