Companies with diverse leadership, including women in executive roles, outperform others financially, and the GAO’s report on women on boards predicts parity is at least four decades away, but only if women are added to boards at twice the rate they are today.  Fast Company also reports on a new study that shows how pervasive sexual assault  and harassment is in the tech industry, and researchers find consistent and surprising gender gaps in self-esteem around the world.  Read more. 

ION Report Reveals Low Number of Women Board Directors, Executives in Top US Public Companies: Search Firms, Investors, Governance Chairs Urged to Cast Wider Net in Search for Qualified Candidates

Annual  Status Report of  Russell  3000  Companies  Shows Only 13 Percent of  Board Members,  Executive Officers Are Women NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — ION has released its 10th Annual Census of women board directors and executive officers of public companies (http://ionwomen.org/ion-reports). The report includes 2014 data from 2,827 US corporations in the Russell 3000 (R3000). Key Full Article

Numerous studies have documented the direct, positive correlation between the participation of women on the boards and senior management teams and overall organizational performance (see: http://instituteonwomen.org/central-ohio-leadership-census/).

Many of these studies acknowledge that this research does not prove causation; such is difficult in any situation outside of randomized, controlled experimentation. The strength of the correlation, however, is reinforced by a number of factors that are evident from the scope of research I’ve tracked over the years.

When is Correlation Enough?

A Harvard Business Review blog from earlier this year attempted to address the issue of when a correlation can be Full Article

In this update:

News on comply and explain in Canada, what’s driving diversity success in Europe, the CEO who suggested women depend on karma for equal pay and another who described women as “just like men, only cheaper.”  Also research from Aaron Dhir, the Diana Project, PwC and The Conference Board. Read more.

ION Comments on Proposed Joint Standards for Assessing Diversity Policies, Urges Regulating Agencies to Emphasize Actual Impact of Initiatives

Disclosure of Outcomes will Promote Stakeholder Transparency, Accountability Regarding Diversity and Inclusion Policies

Nashville, Tenn. – March 6, 2014 – ION has commented on the Proposed Interagency Policy Statement authored by the OCC, BGFRS, FDIC, NCUA, CFPB, and SEC,¹ which would assess the diversity policies and practices of the entities these agencies regulate. While ION welcomes the development of the joint standards, it is concerned with the emphasis placed on assessment and disclosure of the existence of diversity and Full Article