Examining gender on corporate boards: a regional study

The representation of women in organizations has become an increasingly important topic for academics and practitioners. Despite the growing presence of women in the workforce, representation of women in corporate governance is relatively low. The present study examined the gender composition of corporate boards as a function of organization size and industry. Data from government filings were collected for the top 100 public companies in a suburban region of the USA. Results indicated a positive relationship between organization size and women on boards. Partial support was found for hypotheses related to industry. Practical implications and areas for future study are discussed.