Key To Board Diversity – Pass A Law

Diversity advocates who lobby corporations about seating women on their boards are wasting their time. They should be lobbying congress. According to a study by executive search firm Egon Zehnder, virtually all countries that average three or more women on corporate boards operate under a gender quota system mandated by the government. The only exception is Sweden. Large corporations in the U.S. average 2.5 female directors, a figure that shows little sign of growing. Most companies won’t appoint anyone who hasn’t served as a CEO, which diminishes the pool of eligible female candidates considerably. California recently passed a law requiring at least one woman on boards with headquarters in the state by next year, and three by 2021.