Board Gender Diversity : Debate and Practice

Public companies are besieged with requests to add women to their boards. Corporate directors are trained to listen carefully and advised to evaluate evidence. Most would welcome reasonable requests to advance gender diversity to their boards. Many, however, are frustrated by the sheer volume and tenor of advocacy on the subject. They and other participants in the debate would do well to reflect a bit more on the arguments and evidence. This essay is intended to help. In short, it advises advocates to avoid exaggerated claims about the economic payoffs from diversity, urging instead to focus on the fairness merits of the equation. That way, as progress on board gender diversity continues to be made, appointees can feel pride and be assessed on the merits, rather than serve under a cloud of stigma