I was disheartened to read that female representation on U.S. corporate boards didn’t change much last year.
Women held just 19.9% of U.S. board positions in 2015, up a teeny bit from 19.2% the previous year, according to Catalyst’s annual survey.
Looking around the world, things are a bit better. In the U.K., for instance, FTSE 100 companies hit the voluntary target of having 25% of women on boards by 2015. As a result, a new target, set by an independent commission, has been established at 33% by 2020.
Thing is, the position of women on boards elsewhere in Europe and India has been helped along by diversity targets and quotas. No. 1 country Norway, whose corporate boards are 39% female, has mandatory quotas that come with penalties.
So U.S. companies should find a way to bring more women into the mix. After all, there is some evidence that it leads to higher profitability. And that’s tough to argue with.
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
| A friend in London |
| London's new mayor, Sadiq Khan, seems to be a real friend to women. First, he named three women to top posts. Now, he's banning fat-shaming ads on the tube. |
| TimeOut |
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| Maternity wear fit for a Duchess |
| Meet Cecile Reinaud, who founded the maternity fashion label Seraphine favored by the Duchess of Cambridge. Having entered the U.S. with success, as Fortune reported, Reinaud is working on building up her American presence even more. |
| Huffington Post |
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| Combatting sexual harassment |
| A piece in Management Today offers key tips on how both employers and employees should cope with sexual harassment. The tips are timely, given recent evidence showing women are reluctant to report such episodes. |
| Management Today |
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THE AMERICAS
| What Michelle Obama told Oprah | | Check out the insightful chat Michelle Obama and Oprah had at the White House's "United State of Women" conference. The first lady spoke up on work-life balance, what men can do to help women, and how sometimes she needs to just "turn off the world." She also said her husband was "swagalicious." |
| Washington Post |
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| Intel looks to the cloud |
| Changing times call for a changed mission. Diane Bryant, head of Intel's data center business, said the semiconductor giant is going from a "PC-centric view" of its business "to a company that fuels the cloud worldwide." |
| Fortune |
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| Martha Stewart delivers |
| It was only a matter of time. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart has joined the meal delivery mania, inking a deal with Marley Spoon to create a firm that will bring you her recipes and "smart cooking techniques." |
| Fortune |
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ASIA-PACIFIC
| Pushing perfection |
| Do you crave perfection at work? A behavioral analytics firm in India has analyzed the differences between the sexes and found female workers are better than men at target orientation, planning, and pushing for perfection. |
| Live Mint |
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IN BRIEF
| Companies, including Amazon, Gap, PepsiCo, sign White House equal pay pledge |
| Money |
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| Ivanka Trump's new YouTube series will answer your questions |
| Fortune |
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| Meet designer Rashmi Varma, creator of the "un-sari" |
| Live Mint |
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| New U.S. Labor Department rule protects women from pay discrimination |
| The Hill |
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| Beyonce raises over $82,000 for residents of Flint, Michigan |
| Vibe |
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PARTING WORDS
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The country would stop. | — Monica Albuquerque, head of artistic development at Brazilian TV network Globo, on what would happen if soap operas took a break during the Rio Olympics. | |
