In 2013, a mere 16.9 percent of Fortune 500 board seats were filled by #women. And we’re not doing much better in Silicon Valley: Among 128 companies representing $1.2 trillion in shareholder value, only 8.4 percent of board members are women.
It’s a shame when you consider that companies with “sustained high representation” of women on their #boards significantly outperformed those with “sustained low representation” by 84 percent in return on sales, 60 percent on return on invested capital, and 46 percent on return on equity.
In the Western world, the battle for #gender equity is firmly focused on the #boardrooms.
Research supports the value of gender #diversity at Board level in terms of higher shareholder returns and better decision making.
Women have what it takes to lead corporations and public organisations. There are a myriad of ideas on how to make that happen. Enlightened companies with an eye on performance are taking note of the balanced benefit that comes from having women participating equally in decision-making and strategising in the Boardroom. Some strategies are founded in changing systemic biases and practices: some are targetted at providing more training and opportunities for women at Board-level; and other still focus on empowering women to accept their innate strengths and not emulate male constructs.
In this article, there are some good ideas that are worthy of attention.
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