Inc.com – US Firms Have to Work Harder to Fill Female Talent Pipeline

Why are large US public companies struggling to get more women onto their boards, asks Inc.com? A new report by Egon Zehnder finds that just 20 percent of US board seats are held by women versus 21 percent two years ago. "While US businesses prioritized engaging a female workforce, contributing factors such as maternity benefits and childcare were largely overlooked," notes the report. "This lack of benefits has hindered women from looking beyond the childbearing years to reach the executive positions that enable them to enter the pipeline for board-level positions." Canada, by contrast, proves that progress is possible even without quotas. Between 2014 and 2016, the percentage of women on the boards of the largest publicly-traded Canadian companies increased from 18 to 25 percent. In Canada, the report notes, unlike in the U.S., there have been strong efforts to emphasize diversity at the highest levels of government and society.

Full story: Kimberly Weisul: Women's Progress in the Boardroom Took a Hit in 2016 in Inc.com (8 February 2017).

Access international media coverage of Egon Zehnder's 2016 Global Board Diversity Analysis