Introduction

Abstract

We thought we had said it all in our first book, A Woman’s Place is in the Boardroom. We analyzed the figures on female directors on boards. We explained why the gender imbalance on boards was a problem for businesses. Through dozens of interviews with male chairmen, female directors, women who aspire to main board positions and headhunters, we revealed how the imbalance was perceived by all those implicated in it, and affected by it. We summarized all the evidence and arguments in the academic literature. We broke the problem down into its component causes and we suggested ways to address each component in a concerted effort to achieve a better gender balance on boards.