Only 15% of board seats worldwide are held by women, a slight increase from the 12% reported in 2015, according to a report by Deloitte. However, companies with female leadership have almost twice as many women on the board as companies led by men, the report highlighted.
The report, Women in the Boardroom: a global perspective, which tracks the efforts of 64 countries to promote boardroom gender diversity, found that 29% of board positions are held by women in companies with a female CEO against 15% in companies with a male CEO.
Deloitte North West Europe chairman Nick Owen said: “As the number of female CEOs and board chairs climbs, it is likely to spur greater board diversity and build a culture of inclusion. This is not just about token representation, but active participation by women on boards.”
Unsurprisingly two Nordic countries are in the top three countries with the largest share of board seats held by women: Norway holds the first position with 42% of board seats held by women, while Sweden is third with 31.7%. In second position is France with 40% of board seats held by women.
