The proportion of women on the boards of British FTSE companies has crept up only marginally in the past year and masks a far bleaker picture amongst FTSE 250 and FTSE Small Cap companies, according to new research.
Analysis of 4,600 directors in 600 British public companies found that the proportion of women on the boards of British FTSE companies has crept up only o.4 per cent (from 12.2 per cent to 12.6 per cent) in the past year.
The proportion of female board directors fell to 7.8 per cent and 7 per cent in British FTSE 250 and Small Cap companies respectively and dropped to 5 per cent and below in all public companies when looking just at executive directors.
The figures, from global search firm Egon Zehnder International, come amid growing international interest in quotas to improve the gender balance at the top of many public and private organisations.
Following legislation introducing quotas in 2006, Norway is now a world leader in more gender-balanced boards and other countries may follow suit.
Andrew Roscoe, managing partner of Egon Zehnder International in London, said: ‘The extent of the problem is already clear from the picture in FTSE 250 and Small Cap companies. Whilst bigger companies are doing more to appoint more female non-executive directors, this is not true of smaller firms, which seems to explain the drop-off in numbers of women.’
He added: ‘More worryingly, it also suggests smaller firms aren’t developing a pool of senior female talent.’
Tags: Equality, FTSE 250 companies, FTSE companies, small business, Small Cap companies, SMEs, women on boards
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