Women on Corporate Boards: The New Zealand Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the issue of gender diversity on corporate boards in New Zealand companies. Despite the increased interest in diversity on corporate boards, very few studies have focused specifically on the issue of gender diversity in the corporate boards. This benchmark study contributes to the literature of 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 serious when we observe that in New Zealand more than 90 % of the companies listed on the New Zealand stock exchange lack any female voice on their board. The figures depicting female directors as a proportion of total directorship spotlight the need for New Zealand government and companies to develop effective strategies to increase the representation of females on corporate boards.