Women in the boardroom
A global perspective – 7th edition
The underrepresentation of women on boards remains a key area of focus for organizations globally, but overall progress remains slow, and for women in leadership positions, even slower.
This year, Deloitte Global collaborated with The 30% Club, whose mission is to achieve at least 30% representation of women in board seats and executive leadership among all listed companies. The report provides a short summary of the “story on the ground" for each country where the 30% Club maintains a chapter, portraying a world of uneven progress.
The Deloitte Global Boardroom Program’s Seventh Edition of the Women in the boardroom: A global perspective report includes updates from 72 countries on women representation in the boardroom, exploring insights on the political, social, and legislative trends behind these numbers. The report found that nearly all countries have local organizations or governments committed to increasing the number of women serving on company boards. While these private and public sector efforts demonstrate steps toward achieving parity, the pace of collective progress is slow.
Key highlights:
- Report reveals a disconnect between women holding roles on boards and in the executive. Only 6.7% of board chairs are women, and even fewer CEOs - 5% - are women
- A global average of 19.7% of board seats are held by women, an increase of 2.8% since 2018 compared to a 1.9% increase in the period from 2016 to 2018
- In UAE, 13 women serves on company boards, and only 12 in KSA, in 2021. However Egypt had 10% representation of women on board for the first time.
- Companies with women CEOs and CFOs in executive leadership have significantly more balanced boards than those with male CEOs and CFOs— progress needs to pick up, with women holding just 7.1% of CFO’s positions in UAE, and 1.3% of CEO’s roles in KSA.
About the Deloitte Global Boardroom Program
The Deloitte Global Boardroom Program brings together the knowledge and experience of Deloitte member firms around the world to address critical topics of universal interest to company boards and management. Supplementing country programs, its mission is to promote dialogue between corporations and their boards and management, investors, the accounting profession, academia, and government. In addition to the publication of thought-pieces on critical topics, the Deloitte Global Boardroom Program hosts a series of must-see webinar discussions with eminent panelists to enable boards and management of global companies to challenge perceived wisdom. For more information about the program contact globalboardroomprogram@deloitte.com. Find us online.
Women in the boardroom: A global perspective
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