Does gender matter? Female representation on the corporate boards: the case study of New Zealand

Abstract

This paper investigates the issue of gender diversity on corporate boards in New Zealand companies. Despite the increased interest in diversity on corporate boards, most previous studies have focused on women's representation in the management positions within companies, rather than women's representation at the corporate board level. This benchmark study contributes to the literature on corporate governance by analysing the presence of women on corporate boards in New Zealand. The research results indicate that women are severely underrepresented. The situation becomes more dangerous when we observe that only 35% of New Zealand corporate boards have only one female director, 11% have two women directors and only 1% have three or more directors. The figures depicting female board members as a proportion of total board member spotlight the need for New Zealand government and companies to develop effective strategies to increase the representation of women on corporate boards.