Women on Boards: Not Just the Right Thing … But the ‘Bright’ Thing

The number of women on boards has plateaued at low levels since 1998. This paper looks at why more women on the board leads to better governance practices – and makes dollars and sense.

Document Highlights 

While the number of women on boards has increased over the past 30 years, it has plateaued at low levels since 1998, mirroring a loss of momentum in improved corporate governance practices. The past decade has also seen a rise in the diversity of the population, employees and corporate stakeholders. Is having diversity on a board merely politically correct, or are there more compelling reasons to do so?

Using women as a proxy for diversity, and boards as a proxy for the governance, this report looks at why having more women on boards makes dollars and sense. Recent studies in the U.S. and Canada show that corporations with two or more women on the board are far more likely to be industry leaders in revenues and profits.