The UK has only 100 Women Directors on Boards out of 61 million
Wednesday, 24th March 2010
According to the Times newspaper today, boardrooms are still pale male and stale. I couldn't have summed it up better.
100 women directors on boards out of a population of 61 million, just adding 100 more would radically alter the landscape in the UK. Yet there are over 2'000 women who are sufficiently qualified and experienced.
- Sweden: parliament has the highest proportion of female members in the world
- The Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) has the highest proportion of female members in the world (43%).
- In Sweden, the policy of equal distribution of power and decision-making aims to achieve a 50 per cent balance between women and men as members of the state boards and committees at both the central and regional level.
- Reports on this topic are sent to Parliament annually;
- Organisations are requested to submit proposals naming two individuals (a woman and a man) so that the government can choose who will be represented on a committee or a state board;
- Financial support is given to stimulate women's representation in local governments.
Source: http://unece.org/gender/genpols/keyinds/publife/sweden.htm
NorWay
- Policy aims to have women constituting 40 per cent of the composition of MPs and government employees
- use of the party system: the voters actually vote for parties, not individuals. This kind of selection process provides a good basis for women seeking political power;
- Quotas have proved an effective means of achieving a more equal distribution of women and men in political institutions.
- Surveys show that there are clear, gender-based divisions with regard to the political spheres dealt with by men and women politicians.
Are the challenges for women the same in every country, if so what really is stopping us?
- Women's lack of confidence to run for elections;
- Women's perception of politics as a "dirty" game; and
- The way in which women are portrayed in the mass media.
- More challenges for BME women
Source: http://www.idea.int/publications/wip/upload/1_Shvedova.pdf, page 8.
Just today I had it said to me that women lacking in confidence is just not true by a male counterpart - tell us what you think, info@workingwoman.org.uk
Keywords: 100 women as directors in uk, female directors, business women, working woman, news,