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Women's progress in the boardroom 'has flatlined'

05/01/2012 Women's progress in the boardroom 'has flatlined'Progress for women in IT Jobs and across all sectors in achieving equality at the top of business has stalled, with the number of women being appointed to senior boardrooms having 'flatlined'.

This is according to Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, one of few women who have reached the top of the world's largest companies.

Speaking to The Times, she said that gender equality in the City was improving during the 70s, 80s and 90s but has since slowed.

At the same time, however, she stressed that women have made huge gains in academia and medicine, but not in business.

More women in IT

"We are now almost at critical mass at the business schools and law schools," she said. "So what is driving that flatline?"

The chief executive did not have an answer, but did note that there are exceptions to the rule. Herself included there are now more women in the boardrooms of technology companies.

She said that it is "exciting" that Gini Romety is now the chief executive of IBM and Ursula Burns as chief executive of Xerox. Such high profile women in IT jobs could spark a step-change in the situation as they not only act as role models to young women in technology jobs but also through their successes show businesses that women can do a good job at leading a company.

The importance of boardroom diversity in the Technology Sector

Earlier this month, Sacha Sadan, the new director of corporate governance at Legal & General Investment Management, said that boardroom diversity is crucial to the long-term performance of a company.

He said: "For a business to make the best decisions possible, the best quality information is required alongside rigorous debate. This rigour is only achieved through a diverse board whose members offer truly fresh insights from a variety of perspectives."

Mr Sadan even suggested that chairmen and executives who do not recruit more women directors to boardrooms should be voted out of office.

Susan Viddicombe, director of the International Centre for Women Leaders at Cranfield University, told The Times that the main issue stopping greater diversity on boards is that businesses are "organisations designed by men, for men" and therefore overlook female executives.

Some progress on gender diversity

Since Lord Davies published his report into gender diversity on boards, some progress has been made, we are seeing more women in technology and Science sectors.

Figures from Cranfield University show that in the six months since the review, women now hold 14.2 per cent of FTSE 100 board positions, up from 12.5 per cent in 2010.

Of all new appointments, 21 have been women (representing 22.5 per cent of all roles), out of 93. However, this is short of Lord Davies' recommended 33 per cent.

It also found reluctance from FTSE firms to set voluntary targets, with just 33 companies setting a target to appoint more women. Ten of these have set targets of more than a ten per cent increase.


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