Report shows quotas having impact of gender diversity in boardroom

A new report on the number of women on the boards of public companies shows that countries with quotas are having more success at closing the gender gap than those relying on non-binding targets.

The survey by Catalyst counted the number of women board members at public companies in 20 countries. Norway, the first country in the world to set a quota of women in 40% of its board seats, tops the table with 35.5% female representation on the boards of its OMX-listed companies. France is also beating expectation at 29.7% - ahead of its 20% target.

One notable figure is that companies in the US have seen virtually no change with 19.2% of the board seats of S&P 500 companies held by women – around the same as last year. This leave the US in joint tenth place in the list of 20, tied with Australia.