Deloitte Report Hails Global Increase in Women on Boards

Deloitte released the fifth edition of its report on Women in the Boardroom with data from nearly 7,000 companies in 44 countries and commentary on women’s experiences in the boardroom from across the globe. The report found that 15 percent of all board seats globally are occupied by women, an improvement over the 12 percent reported two years ago. Deloitte further reported that while the global numbers have increased just three percent, the nations of Italy, Norway, Australia, the UK and Canada experienced an increase of approximately 5 percent of women serving on boards of companies. Others showed larger increases, including New Zealand which saw an increase of more than 10 percent; Belgium which achieved a 9 percent increase, and Sweden which saw a 7 percent gain. Several developed countries are introducing policies on a public or private level to encourage diversity on corporate boards, according to the report. State governments in the U.S., including Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania and Illinois, have passed nonbinding measures in recent years to help increase women’s representation on boards, according to the Deloitte report.