The growing number of women taking a seat in the corporate boardroom has prompted an increased interest in how these directors approach board service versus their male peers.
The 4th Women Matter study shows that although a majority of leaders recognize the impact of gender diversity on business performance, this belief does not translate into actions. Indeed, gender diversity is not high on companies' strategic agenda and the implementation of dedicated programs remains limited overall.
A recent poll of our members found that a large proportion of females (85 per cent) feel there is a gender divide within financial services, yet just 28 per cent of men agree. Sadly, it seems many women are resigned to the fact that this is unlikely to change.
This is the sixth study in a series on the effectiveness of boards in Australia and New Zealand. It focuses on the impact of gender diversity on board effectiveness based on the views of 849 directors who serve on 105 boards.
The Global Gender Gap Index was created with the specific purpose of being comparable across time. The 2010 Report aggregates five years of data and seeks to reveal country progress in a transparent manner.