More than having a seat at the table: From bringing women into the boardroom to making their voices heard

Sara De Masi, Alessandro Zattoni and Agnieszka Słomka-Gołębiowska

Chapter 21 in Feminist Perspectives in Business Studies, 2025, pp 447-468 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Gender quota laws have legitimized and institutionalized the presence of women and have enriched boards with human and social capital. However, women are still struggling to see their input recognized and to influence board decision-making. Female directors face various obstacles that may undermine their active contribution to board debates. In this chapter, we summarize the knowledge accumulated on board gender diversity with a focus on the main factors that prevent their nomination as directors or limit their contribution to board decision-making. There are a few obstacles hindering women's access to top managers or directors’ positions identified at the macro- (country), meso- (e.g., industry, firm, board), or micro- (individual) levels. However, probably the biggest challenge faced by women today is not so much gaining access to the board of directors but making their contributions more visible and their voices heard by the other board members. We identified two major types of obstacles: those that curb female directors from raising questions and voicing their opinions, and those that impede them from having their voices heard inside the boardroom. Going forward, it will be essential to increase the number of women in high-level decision-making roles, such as CEO, Board Chair, Lead Independent Director or Board Committee Chair. In addition, the categorization of women in one dimension may be inappropriate and may lead to unconscious biases that affect both women's behavior and choices related to their career path, and the barriers they face outside and inside the boardroom.

Keywords: Board of directors; Gender diversity; Obstacles to women's participation in the boardroom; Voicing opinions; Having women's voices heard (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035335992
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