Women’s representation on corporate boards at the global and European level

Abstract

The aim. The underrepresentation of women on boards has been a heavily discussed topic over the last 50 years; however, although in recent years there has been some positive dynamics, women are still seriously underrepresented on corporate boards. The purpose of
this paper is to understand global and European trends in women’s representativeness on boards and look at it from a geographic perspective, industry perspective and dynamic perspective with a special focus on Central and Eastern European countries, Latvia in
particular.

Methodology. The study applies the desk research method, analysing secondary data from various statistical reports and publications provided by organisations which monitor the trends in gender equality and promote greater representation of women at the top
management level.

The findings provide a holistic view of women’s representation on boards worldwide and identify regions, countries and industries with a better situation and faster progress in gender diversity on boards during the decade of 2010-2020. Progress towards equal gender representation on corporate boards remains slow. While the representation of women in corporate boards has improved in most regions and countries, the changes have been far from uniform; the dynamics is not stable and requires constant attention. The Central and Eastern European region differs from other European regions with lower gender diversity on boards; however, Latvia’s situation in terms of gender diversity is closer to the common European level.

Value. The paper may be of interest to policymakers and institutions which monitor gender equality in top management positions.