Women in Leadership: Are We Producing Progress or Just Statistics?

In March 2016, Management Today published an article, Which FTSE boards have female directors? There is, of course, a simple and straightforward response: 20. But corporate responses to issues of diversity, gender included, are rarely simple and straightforward, and rightly so.

Without demonstrating or proving the real benefits of having women in leadership roles, we are producing statistics rather than progress.

Yet evidence does exist. A 2007 Catalyst report examined Fortune 500 companies, looking at three performance factors. Analysis showed that companies with the highest female board representation outperformed those with the lowest by 53% in terms of return on equity, 42% in return on sales and 66% in return on invested capital.