Clogs in the Pipeline: The Mixed Data on Women Directors and Continued Barriers to Their Advancement
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2006
Status
Accepted
Abstract
The longstanding disparity between the percentage of women in the workforce and their membership on corporate boards indicates that women continue to face significant barriers to corporate board membership. Evidence drawn from an empirical study on women directors at Fortune 100 companies demonstrates that the mere passage of time does not eliminate these barriers. This empirical study confirms that women have made considerable progress since 1934, but the aggregate number of women directors is small when compared against their percentages in the workforce and school population.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 may have resulted in changes in board composition that have a positive impact on women's effectiveness in the boardroom, but it has not resulted in a significant increase in the number of women directors. The empirical evidence on directors’ occupations reveals that the pipeline from the workforce to the board primarily flows through corporate executive suites. As a result, the failure of women to advance to executive levels within the corporation is a critical reason for the sluggish advancement of women on boards.
GW Paper Series
GWU Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2012-90, GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 2012-90
SSRN Link
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2161024
Recommended Citation
Lisa M. Fairfax, Clogs in the Pipeline: The Mixed Data on Women Directors and Continued Barriers to Their Advancement, 65 Md. L. Rev. 579 (2006)