ION Reports
Since 2004, ION’s reports have turned the lens on domestic public companies of all sizes, supplementing research provided by Catalyst focused on Fortune 500 Companies. In 2015, we again worked in partnership with MSCI ESG Research to provide the key statistical data for all Russell 3000 companies headquartered in the US. 
In our analysis of this data, ION found that only 14.1% of board seats in the full Russell 3000 are held by women. Additional data points included:
- 796 companies have no women on their boards
- 37% of the companies in the R3000 have only 1 woman on their boards (making “one and done” standard operating procedure)
In somewhat better news:
- 12% (356) of the companies in the R3000 have 3 or more women directors on their board.
Consistent with research that shows that smaller companies lag behind the larger public companies in appointing women to their boards, we analyzed the top 1000 companies in the R3000 and compared the results to the numbers for the bottom two-thirds of the companies in the R3000 (companies 1001 to 3000 – also referred to as the Russell 2000). The difference is substantial:
- Women hold 17.4% of the board seats in the R1000 (companies 1-1000)
- Women hold only 11.9% of the board seats in the R2000 (companies 1001-3000)
Download ION’s Annual Update of Women Directors and Executive Officers in the Regions
[ION 2016 Annual Update]
MSCI ESG Research products and services are designed to provide in-depth research, ratings and analysis of environmental, social and governance-related business practices to companies worldwide. Ratings and data from MSCI ESG Research are also used in the construction of the MSCI ESG Indexes. MSCI ESG Research Inc. is a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.